A Different Place
by Aaron D
Summary: The DEFINITIVE Legends alternate-reality story: Chapter 57---the final confrontation! 57 and COMPLETE, people! Check it out!
1. Origin

  


A Different Place

  
  
by Aaron D. Roberts  
  


* * *

"Wake up!" 

The robot opened its eyes for the first time. An odd face (the first I've even seen, he thought in the back of his mind) greeted him to his new consciousness. Powdery green hair stuck out in lazy spikes atop the cinnamon-brown skin that covered the other's face. The newly-awakened robot looked deep into the other's crimson eyes and asked, "Who are you?" Howling winds and clumps of snow flew past his face, but strangely, he was not cold. 

Despite the battle scars and burns covering the other's features, he grinned earnestly. "I think you know," he said simply. 

"Oh," the new robot said in his high-pitched voice. "You're MegaMan Trigger!" 

"That's right," Trigger said. "And wbo are you?" 

"I'm...Data! I'm your Peripheral Memory Storage Device!" Extremely thrilled at this recognition, Data began dancing around gleefully. 

Trigger brushed stray green strands of hair out of his eyes. "Hey, stop that. We've got work to do." The Purifier (what was that, again?) grunted as he shakily stood up. "Sera's stopped functioning for the moment. We need to seal her up before her self-repair programs progress too far." 

"Okay!" Data agreed cheerfully. "What should I do?" 

"She and I were...fighting," Trigger gasped, limping as Data fell into step beside him. "It took a lot out of both of us. I started it, really. I was trying to destroy Eden's main systems because of what the Master...well, you'll know all of this after download, won't you? Anyway, I'm having trouble getting her into the stasis capsule. I used a lot of parts from my legs and some from my arms to build you, so I'm not as strong as I used to be." 

"I'll help!" said Data. He and Trigger approached a huge pile of snow, which the Purifier quickly dusted away with his hands. Underneath was what appeared to be a young woman with the same coloration as Trigger. Looking at it curiously, Data helped his creator put the inert body into a nearby container. Trigger sighed as the girl's body fell limply into it, then firmly closed the transparent lid. At his master's command, Data hit the flashing red button that sealed the stasis chamber. 

Trigger let out a long breath as he slid down, resting his back against the container. "That ought to hold her for around a hundred years, assuming no one opens it before then. That should give me time to recover." He squinted as though a sharp pain was shooting through him. 

"Are you okay, MegaMan?" Data asked with concern. "Can I do anything for you?" 

"Uugghh," Trigger grunted. "I'll be just fine in a little bit, Data. First there are a few things I have to tell you." Trigger used his left arm to boost himself up and shift his body into a more comfortable position. "There's a program inside of you, Data," he explained, his baritone voice grave. "When I upload it, it'll initiate my transformation. I'm going to hide out among the betas for a few decades." 

"What are the 'betas'?" Data asked. 

"Yuna calls them the 'carbons,'" Trigger explained. "They're the people that inhabit the surface world---created from a corrupt form of the Master's genetic code. I carry the true form within my memory banks, and soon, so will you. Anyway, as soon as we transfer the program to me and activate it, I'm going to change." 

"How?" 

Trigger smiled. "Well, first of all, my colors are going to change. No more green hair." 

Data's mouth formed into an "O" of surprise. "No?" 

Trigger's fingertip pointed to his scalp. "That's right. The green's going to go to my eyes." He pointed to his dark-colored cheek. "And then this brown color's going to go to my hair." 

"So what color will your skin be, MegaMan?" 

"The same color as the carbons'," Trigger answered. "Kind of the same color as freshly-cut wood, maybe a little lighter." 

Data accessed his memory banks. "Oh, I see. That'll look weird, won't it?" 

"You'll get used to it eventually," Trigger assured him. "Also, I'll become a young child, equivalent to a carbon child of one or two years. I won't be able to do _anything_, basically. You'll have to make sure I'm safe until the carbons find us." 

"What?" 

"Yeah. Eventually, my child self will probably be raised by a family of betas. I don't really care which one; I think if I'm just adopted by the first random family which comes along, it'll give me a more real experience than if you and I choose a group of them." 

Data cocked his head quizzically. "Are you sure about this, MegaMan? It might be better if we put some thought into it?" 

"No," said Trigger, "I want to make sure it's completely random. It's the only way to truly experience life as a carbon---they don't get to choose their families, so why should I?" 

"If you say so." 

Trigger chuckled. "I'll kind of miss being grown up---actually, I guess I won't, really, once you have my memories---but I guess I'll eventually grow up again anyway, won't I?" 

"Uh, I think so..." Data said, confused. 

The wristband on Trigger's blue armor began beeping. "Uh-oh. Looks like Mother's systems are coming back on line. We'd better get out of here before Yuna can locate us with Eden's sensor array. There's a small boat just off the shore of the island. I...can't make it in this state. Get ready to download my memory files, Data." 

"Okay," Data said, unsure of himself. What if he messed up everything? 

"Don't worry," Trigger said, reading Data's thoughts. "You're going to do just fine. Do me a favor, though, okay? I don't want you give me back my memories, or even tell me who I am, until my body has matured again. Not unless something really bad happens, like the Carbon Re-Initialization Program, or if it looks like Mother is about to find us. I've shielded you from her thoughtscans, but she still might catch on to what we're doing." Trigger clenched his eyes shut. "Ahhh. Here we go, Data. Download begins...now!" Trigger stiffened as his memories began shifting to his storage device, as his body began rejuvenating. 

Data shivered, a tear leaking from his eye. "Don't be afraid, Data," said Trigger, the pitch of his deep voice raising as his body youthened. "As long as we're together, everything will be all right." With the last, the Purifier's voice sounded more like a boy's than a man's. Data watched as his creator shrank even further, leaving appendages and layers of skin behind him. As it was shed, Trigger's skin became lighter and lighter in color, until it stabilized at a shade that Data assumed must have been the same as the betas. 

When the transformation was finished, Trigger's hair was a dark brown, while his eyes were, indeed, the same shade of luminous green that his hair had been before. The boy looked up expectantly at Data, though the Peripheral Memory Storage Device was pretty sure he'd already downloaded all his maker's memories. Data picked up the child in his stubby arms and began jogging for the boat anchored on the southern shore of what the betas called Forbidden Island. 

*** 

A seafarer's life was never an easy one, especially the way the world worked now, with those blasted skyships flittering around everywhere with their damned refractors, limitless sources of fuel. Captain Jonial Namagem paced grumpily back and forth on the deck of his steamship, the _Blue Barnacle_. He'd stick with good, old-fashioned coal power, thank you very much. Jonial would be damned before he'd...what the hell was that? 

A rowboat was floating adrift in the ocean current. Jonial signaled for the helsman, which, this shift, was his second son Harkam, to steer closer, then he lowered one of the ship's boats into the brine. As Jonial rowed closer to the drifter, he saw that it had only two occupants, a young child and a odd-looking monkey bot. Never a big fan of robots himself, Jonial grumbled softly as he lifted the two into his own boat. After seeing nothing else of interest in the derelict, he shoved it off and headed back to the _Barnacle_. "Poor lad," he whispered to the babe, "Your parents probably died in a shipwreck, what? Huuhh....I don't know what to do with you. We certainly don't need another mouth to feed." 

Jonial handed the two castaways up to his brother, Jann, and hopped of the boat himself. "What will we do with him, brother?" 

"I don't know," Jonial admitted. "He certainly can't stay on the ship. Mayhaps an orphanage at our next port of call will take him in." 

"We might want to keep him around, Cap'n," said Jann. 

"Why should I be doin' that?" 

"You know that most folk we meet don't feel as if workin' on board a seaship's worthwhile, eh?" 

"Aye," Jonial agreed, motioning for his brother to continue. 

"Well, if we keeps the boy around, maybe he'll be another useful hand for the family." Jann winked at his brother. 

Jonial nodded. "You may be right. I'll keep it in mind." 

He did more than keep it in mind. By the time the _Blue Barnacle_ had made port at Pokte Island, Jonial was ready to add the child to his crew. Although there'd be a few years where he was a drain, Jonial knew the boy would be old enough to do a cabin boy's work by the time he was seven, and after that, they'd find a place in the ship's hierarchy for him. The kid would also give his grandchildren another playmate, as well. 

"Hey," the portmaster said as Jonial handed him the ship's roster, "what about the kid, here?" 

"What's the problem?" 

"I don't have him listed here. What's his name?" 

Jonial scratched his head. "The lad is a...foundling, of sorts." The portmaster nodded gravely. So many Diggers these days left orphaned children behind them. "We haven't really gotten around to namin' him yet." Jonial gave it the briefest moment of thought, then scribbled the first thing that came to mind. 

The portsman barked a laugh. "Ha! Like the T.V. show, right?" 

"What?" asked Jonial, peering again at the letters he had written. "Oh, I didn't even realize. I was just writing our last name backwards. That is kinda funny, isn't it?" The ship captain cast a look at the young, green-eyed boy, who was at the moment joining his robot companion in a simple, joyous dance. "I hope it ain't an omen." 

The portmaster shrugged. "Who knows?" He looked at the name Jonial had scrawled on the roster once more. 

_Megaman Namagem_. 

_**NEXT:** Growing up Nautical_   
  
  
  
  
**Author's Note:This story will be a bit different than many of the ones I've written before, not only because it's in a different universe, but also because I'll be trying to take a more somber tone than usual (though I'll still try to stick some laughs in, of course!) If you're lucky, you might see a Servbot before long (hm). Also, while I usually try to finish things in one shot, this one's going to be very, very, VERY, serialized. God bless, ADR. **

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
RETURN 


	2. Seafaring Childhood

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 2: Seafaring Childhood

* * *

For the first few years of his shipboard existence, MegaMan's life was fairly simple. Indeed, later he would find he had only the vaguest recollections of his early childhood. The boy's formative years were punctuated with neglectful adult supervision, to say the least. Often young MegaMan would be shooed by his grandfather or his uncles down into the cargo hold, where he occasionally would spend days without emerging from the lower decks. It seemed that the lad needed fewer regular meals than a normal boy his age, although this thought never crossed the senior members of the Namagem family. 

Every week or so, Data would be seen hauling the boy out onto the deck, where he would then run around underfoot once again until he was once more ushered downstairs. Because of his constant proximity, MegaMan also learned quite a bit about how the ship's cargo was loaded, although this for the most part was remembered only on a subconscious level. 

By the time he was around six or seven (and the Namagems were never quite sure exactly how old he was, so they made their best guess, assigning him a birthday based on the day he'd been found), it was decided by his foster family it was time for their ward to begin working as a sailor. "You're too damn big to be wandering around," Jonial grumbled one morning. "Go help your Aunt out in the kitchen." 

So, MegaMan became helper in the galley to his Aunt Cherle, Jonial's daughter-in-law. Kitchen work was not very complicated, especially the way Cherle did it, her bulk dancing between the sink and stove as she grumbled about things her husband and children had been doing wrong. MegaMan was a swift learner, and by the time he turned ten he all but assumed full responsibility as ship's cook, though Cherle still occasionally put in an appearance every few days. 

MegaMan's cousins, Mayl, Frann, and Jaren, were troublesome to him from the beginning. While Jonial treated MegaMan with the same firm hand he used with all of his grandchildren, the other adults made it clear they considered the foundling inferior to their own children in every way. This tended to leave its mark on the children themselves, and gave them license, in their minds, to treat the boy however they saw fit. MegaMan was often dodging punches, thrown elbows, and swift kicks given from his cousins, and eventually began avoiding them as much as he possibly could. 

The adults---Jonial's brother Jann, his sons, Ferd and Inan, and their wives, Cherle and Gerta---either tended to ignore MegaMan's difficulties or were marginally unaware of them until something happened none of them could overlook. 

Now, Mayl was MegaMan's only girl cousin and she was quite pretty. Unfortunately, she also seemed to have it out for MegaMan the hardest as well, which hurt the boy's feelings, as he was quite taken with her. He both desparately wanted to be around her but was also very frightened to, as she was the most likely of all the children to hit him. MegaMan was running an errand for Aunt Cherle one afternoon when Mayl stopped him just above the cargo hold stairs. 

"Whatcha doin, MegaMan?" The boy nearly froze up at the sheer amount of loathing in her eyes. 

"Just going down to the cargo hold," he stammered, trying to think of some way out of the situation where he would not be kicked. 

Alas, he was far too late. "'Just going down to the cargo hold,'" Mayl mocked him, then gave MegaMan a swift kick in the shins. 

Normally, this was where it would have ended, but this particular time Mayl decided to take it one step further, and shoved MegaMan backwards. The boy yelped as he fell backwards, tumbling end over end down the wooden stairway. He hit the lower deck the hardest, bearing the weight of his fall near the top of his head. MegaMan felt a warmth flowing down his forehead as he lost consciousness. 

"MegaMan, are you all right?" Data's shrill tones swept through the darkness. 

Moaning, MegaMan rolled over on the deck. "Go 'way, Data," he slurred. "I don't hafta get up yet." 

"MegaMan!" the monkey called again. 

"Data!" MegaMan grumbled, sitting up roughly. He nearly fell back down as a wave of pain rocked through his skull. "Uhhhh," he groaned. "That's right---I fell down the stairs." 

Data hopped around the floor and MegaMan's lap, his eyes wide with concern. "You're bleeding! Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, let's go upstairs." When the boy returned to the galley, his aunt noticed the sharp cut at the upper edge of MegaMan's forehead. His head was bandaged up, but MegaMan refused to tell which of his cousins had been responsible for his fall. The adults had already deduced it was no accident, as MegaMan had been up and down that stairway since and so all three were punished severely. This, of course, did nothing to endear MegaMan to them. 

"You just wait," Mayl promised him under her breath at dinner one night, the other twoglaring at him. "You're gonna get it." 

MegaMan, gulping, had no doubt that she meant it.   
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I'll try to go less time with updates, but, naturally, no promises.   
_Next time_: Goodbye to Data

* * *

RETURN 


	3. Goodbye to Data

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 3  
Goodbye to Data

* * *

The scar on MegaMan's forehead never did go away---in fact, it left a bit of a reminder for him every time he looked in the mirror. The scar was mostly covered by his hairline, but he noticed after a couple of weeks, the hair above it began growing white. MegaMan had what his Grandfather called a "Sorcerer's Lock." The boy would have been dismayed, but Jonial assured him that a man's face wasn't complete without a few scars, so MegaMan began to take a kind of pride in his new appearance. 

Still, while MegaMan had left the incident behind him, he found that Mayl had not. In fact, she and his other cousins began teasing him even more than they had before. MegaMan found that as long as he remained out of their sight, he would be safe, so he began spending more and more time in the kitchens. This suited the rest of the family fine: he was keeping busy and he was out of the way. 

Some might consider a blessing that nothing of major importance happened in the next few years, but MegaMan was, to put in plainly, bored out of his mind. The ship sailed, it put in port at an island, the cargo was unloaded, new cargo was loaded, and the ship put out to sea again, where the whole process continued. As he grew bigger, MegaMan was expected to help with unloading the hold as well. After several such experiences, MegaMan finally learned the proper task for him. While Jann and the others would utilize the ship's crane and forklift to unload cargo, MegaMan would take some of the smaller containers and load them on the dock the old-fashioned way---with his own two hands. 

"Whatcha doin'?" Mayl asked him one of these times. She was lying on top of a larger crate that had already been loaded on the dock. 

"Unloading the ship," MegaMan answered. "I don't want Grandpa to get mad at me." 

"_We_ don't have to do it," Mayl answered, dangling one of her arms over the edge of the container. 

MegaMan gently lowered his load onto the dock. "Grandpa says I've gotta earn my keep." 

Mayl said nothing again until MegaMan returned with another load. "How can you carry so much?" 

"What do you mean?" 

Mayl sat up, looking a bit more interested. "You're carrying three containers. Isn't that heavy?" 

MegaMan put down the boxes. "Yeah, a little." 

"A little? Those have to weigh more than four hundred pounds." 

MegaMan shrugged and returned to get another load. By the time he'd returned, Mayl had fetched her cousins, Jann, and Jonial, and they were all staring at the foundling boy as he placed three more crates onto the dock. MegaMan stopped in his tracks, staring back at his foster family. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

They continued staring. Finally, Jonial piped up, "Well, he has been bustin' his hump since he was just a lad. That's why he has a lot of pep in 'im." Clearly, the Namagem family patron wasn't about to let anything like common sense to get in the way of something that could substantially help his business. 

Nothing more was said about MegaMan's unusual strength after that, at least, not by the adults. MegaMan's cousins still tended to tease him about it, calling him "freak," and "steroid-boy" for several weeks after. 

Because of this, MegaMan began spending even more time in the kitchen than before. 

"Hey MegaMan!" Data called one morning, popping up onto the kitchen counter. "Let's dance!" 

"Not now, Data," MegaMan said, stifling a giggle. "I've gotta get everything ready for dinner." He stirred the chowder he was making on the stove. "Why don't you go play on deck for a while?" 

"All right!" Data said cheerfully, and hopped up the stairs. 

MegaMan continued preparing the meal, much as he did every afternoon. About half and hour later, he heard his cousin Frann calling him from up on the deck. Walking softly up the stairway, MegaMan found Data atruggling in his cousin's grasp. Frann was the largest of MegaMan's cousins, and since learning of MegaMan's massive strength, he'd stopped threatening the younger boy physically. In fact, MegaMan had hardly seen him over the past weeks. 

"Put Data down, Frann!" MegaMan called. 

"...Yeah," Jaren said from the side. He and Mayl were distancing themselves from Frann. 

"Come on, monkey-boy," Frann teased. "Come get your monkey!" He dangled Data teasingly in front of MegaMan, then snatched him away just as the younger boy reached out his arms. Then, Frann took it a step further and slowly moved Data out over the side of the ship. 

"No!" MegaMan cried. "Don't!" 

"Ha ha," Frann chuckled. "You don't think I'd really---" 

Unfortunately, Data had begun struggling with renewed aplomb after being suspended over the open sea, and his increased ministrations caused him to work free of Frann's grip and plunge into the blue waves of the ocean. 

"Data!" MegaMan cried, surging forward and plunging into the water after his oldest friend. His muscles tensed up as he hit the surface. 

"MegaMan!" Data shrieked. "Help me!" 

MegaMan swam in the direction of the voice, but could not reach Data before he went under. Data's stubby arms and legs worked fine for dancing, but were of no use when treading water. He frantically grabbed under the water without success, then began looking under the surface, the saltwater stinging his eyes. He could see nothing. 

MegaMan continued looking, refusing to give up, until his Uncle Jann dove in, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and dragged him back towards the ship. MegaMan went limp in Jann's arms, flopping onto the foredeck limply. His oldest friend was gone. Worse, Data was the only link to his past. Where had he come from? Why would his parents abandon him? And why--- 

A sharp pain suddenly burst through MegaMan's head. Clutching his temples, he tried to hold back the involuntary convulsions that shook his body. What was happening to him? The pain became unbearable, and MegaMan couldn't stop the screams that escaped his lips. 

"What's going on?" Jann demanded. "What happened?" 

"Frann threw MegaMan's monkey into the ocean," Mayl said. MegaMan thought he heard a kernel of shame in her voice despite the hammers pounding down on his skull." 

Jann stared daggers at his grandnephew. "Is this true?" 

"Y-yeah," Frann stuttered, backing away. Nearly tripping over MegaMan, he regained some of his former confidence. "Served him right, too! That dirty monkey, always in our way! It's not like it was a _person_ or anything..." 

The pain in MegaMan's head was starting to fade now, and hot anger was burning through his veins. It was Frann's fault. His only friend in the world was gone, and it was all thanks to that dirty little carbon... 

_---Carbon? What the hell was a carbon?_

Tears streaming down his face, MegaMan lauched himself at Frann, tackling the older boy at the waist and slamming hard into the steel deck. He reached his arm back for a mighty punch, which Jann fortunately got ahold of before the blow landed. With the resistance Jann applied, MegaMan's blow landed with only slightly more than normal force behind it, shattering Frann's nose. The boy offered only a token resistance as his uncle tore him off Frann's inert body, half-carrying MegaMan down the stairs and tossing him onto his bare bed in the cargo hold. "Stay here," Jann said. 

For his punishment, Jonial made MegaMan swab the deck three times a day for the next month. Frann, of course, received no disciplinary consequences at all for throwing Data over the side---the truth was, most of MegaMan's uncles and aunts were glad to be rid of the small robot, who'd been a constant nuisance since he'd come aboard the ship. Only Jonial and Mayl seemed to acknowledge that MegaMan was going through any kind of grief at all. 

"I know it hurts, son," his grandfather said, patting MegaMan awkwardly on the shoulder. "I cried for weeks when I lost my first teddy, but you've gotta remember, it was just a thing---not a person, and things can be replaced." 

That didn't sound right to MegaMan, but he let it pass, because he appreciated what Jonial was trying to do for him, he said nothing in response. 

Mayl came down to the hold to see MegaMan three days after the incident. "All you all right, MegaMan?" 

MegaMan turned in his bunk so his back was to her. "Go away." 

"Come on, MegaMan. Cheer up a little. We're going to make port in a few days, and Grandpa says you'll get to go ashore this time!" 

"I don't care. Go away." MegaMan scooted a little closer to the wall. Mayl shurgged and went back up the stairway. 

Through his grief, MegaMan found a glimmer of anticpation in the back of his mind. He hadn't been allowed off the ship since his eighth birthday. MegaMan smiled in the darkness of the cargo hold. He couldn't wait to reach the island.   
  
_AUTHOR'S NOTE: How 'bout THAT for a fast update, huh?   
_NEXT TIME: Bank Robbery!

* * *

RETURN 


	4. Bank Robbery!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 4:  
Bank Robbery!

* * *

MegaMan was still grieving the loss of Data as the Namagem family ship docked at Primiki Harbor. Through the lonely nights and the quiet mornings, the boy realized he'd taken his robotic companion for granted. In fact, the first two or three days, he'd woken up hours late and Aunt Cherle had scolded him sharply for nearly missing lunch. It was a half-hearted scolding though, and MegaMan could tell---he'd had several worse from her, some that included physical reprimands. 

What scared him the most was the nightmares. MegaMan didn't know what it was, but since Data's death---and he had to admit it, Data was _dead_, not just dancing around on the ocean floor---odd images kept forcing their way into his brain. Pictures of a beautiful shoreline in perpetual twilight, and a strange, unfamiliar voice...no, wait, two voices were whispering to him softly. He could almost hear what they were saying... 

Occasionally these thoughts would intrude on MegaMan's mind during his waking hours as well, but they were far easier to dismiss while he was conscious. He began focusing on his day-to-day tasks, trying to keep his attention locked on whatever he happened to be doing at the moment: moving around cargo in the hold, stirring a sauce or stew, or scrubbing that last speck off the each dish in the sink. Outwardly, not much had changed, but those who looked closely could see that the flash had gone out of MegaMan's eyes. He was just going through the motions of shipboard life. 

One morning, MegaMan felt the ship's engines shudder to a halt. Obviously, the ship had made port. Grunting, he rolled sluggishly out of his berth and waited for the cargo hold to open. As usual, MegaMan unloaded the smaller crates while the larger ones were taken by crane onto the dock. This time, though, after the job was done, Jonial strode up to MegaMan carrying a large burlap sack. 

"Here," he said, dumping the sack carelessly into MegaMan's hands, "go into town and deposit that into the bank for me, will ya?" 

"What is it?" asked MegaMan. 

"It's the payment for our last haul. There's over twenty thousand zenny in there, so be careful with it, okay?" 

MegaMan peeked inside the bag. Shimmering sparkles of red, blue, and green shone back at him. They had been paid in quantum refractors! These jewels were the basis of all money in the world, not to mention the source of most mechanical energy---MegaMan had taken a look more than once at the large refractor which powered the ship---and the smaller ones worked, when spun, as batteries for smaller mechanical devices, much like the electric mixer he used in the ship's galley. It would be incorrect to say the bag MegaMan held as he walked down the gangplank was worth its weight in gold, because it was actually worth about thirty times its weight in gold. After all, refractors weighed hardly anything. 

After a quick admonishment from Jann not to lose the money (like he was actually going to), MegaMan strolled casually through the harbor, past the harbormaster's office, and into Gold City proper. Most of Gold City's money came from, as one might expect, the highly profitable gold mining industry. The world's economy might not be based on gold, but the precious metal was still highly in demand, both for use in electronics repair as well as for its use in jewelry and ornamentation. 

MegaMan was impressed with Gold City, although he realized that since he'd only been ashore one time before, he had little basis for comparison. Still, it was a treat for the boy to see the brightly-colored signs, the greeness of the public parks, and the landbound buildings, some of which were bigger than his own ship! He thought about buying a hot dog at one of the small stands he saw as he entered the downtown area, but was afraid to---his grandfather had said nothing about buying anything for himself, and it would probably be noticed if the deposit in the bank was not the same amount that Jonial had been paid. 

MegaMan sighed as he trudged up the steps to the Gold City Bank, realizing as he did that as soon as he'd made the deposit, he'd have to go home. His time in this fascinating place was almost at an end. The bank was a quiet place, perhaps the quietest place he'd ever been. MegaMan had been noticing the absence of the heavy, growling engine since he'd put ashore, but the silence in the bank was oppressive. He was almost afraid to speak as he gently set his burden on the counter in front of the nearest teller. "I'd like to..um, deposit this," he said softly. 

"Sure," the teller said. "Name?" 

"What?" 

"The name on your account. What is it?" 

"Oh. Namagem." 

"All right." The teller punched up something on his computer. "Good to see you guys in town again, by the way. How's Jonial? He's your grandfather, right?" 

"Yes." 

"So which one are you? Of the grandkids, I mean. Are you Frann?" 

MegaMan's eye twitched, but otherwise there was no sign of frustration on his face. "No, not Frann. I'm MegaMan." 

The teller narrowed his eyes. "MegaMan...I've never heard of y---oh, I get it. Like the TV show, right?" 

"Well, not really. I was named---" MegaMan didn't get to finish his sentence because, at that moment, a huge crash sounded from outside. After a moment's calm, the boy returned his attention to the teller, who was about finished counting the refractors. "How much was in there?" he asked just as he heard another crash. This time, he'd felt it in the floorboards. "What's going on?" 

As if to answer MegaMan's question, a large metal fist propelled its way through the bank's front doors, shattering the glass. MegaMan stood in shock as another identical hand forced itself through the doorway. Both hands exerted force upward, lifting the entire front wall off the building, leaving the bank open to the air. "Pirates!" someone shouted. 

MegaMan stood agape as a large robot, with two massive legs to complement the arms and a protruding, bulbous torso to match. The robot flung its arms with accuracy, knocking policemen and security guards aside. MegaMan was stunned. What should he do? Should he do anything? The robot was approximately 23.8 feet from him now. Judging from its size, he estimated the robot's weight at around 4 tons. 

An amplified voice emerged from the robot's body. "All right! This is a holdup! Why don't you save yourselves some trouble and open the safe? We're going to take it all anyway." Hmm, the voice was odd, high-pitched like a girl's. 

_Purifier series, combat routine J-14 set! Beginning execution..._

Time seemed to slow down as MegaMan dashed around the robot's path and out into the street. Rather, everything else but his own actions seemed to have slowed. Espying the nearest fallen police officer, MegaMan dodged around the rubble and, taking the policeman's riot shield and rifle into his own hands, quickly targeted the center of the large robot's frame---the most likely place for the cockpit. The report sounded as the shell fired, but MegaMan also heard a _clang_ as the bullet bounced uselessly off of the robot's heavily armored torso. 

Unfortunately, he had drawn the pilot's attention. The robot gestured frantically to some kids nearby---no, wait, they weren't children, they were...other robots? MegaMan allowed himself a chuckle. These were primitives of some sort, mere junk with archaic programming, nothing compared to--- 

The primitives were on him quickly. They weren't seriously attacking; they were trying to stall him. But for what? 

MegaMan's eyes clouded violently as the robot's blow knocked him backwards through the air. Recovering with a speed that was unbelievable for a mere ship's cook, MegaMan shook off the remaining diminutive robot and aimed his rifle swiftly. The robot's armor was simply too thick for bullets to get through, but MegaMan had noticed an unprotected hydraulic hose connecting the robot's torso to its right arm... 

The shot fired. A hit! The hose burst apart, brown fluid spurting forth uncontrollably. The flow of hydraulic fluid slowed, then stopped completely as the robot's pilot cried out in alarm, "Hey! My right arm! Something's wrong with it!" 

"Miss Tron!" the little robots cried in unison, surrounding the bigger one. 

The pilot sounded angry. "Who is this guy, anyway? Hey, you! How'd you do that?" 

How _had_ he done that, anyway? He'd never fired a gun before in his life! MegaMan was at a loss for words, but knew that he needed to say something... "Um...lucky shot, I guess." Whatever had possessed him before, it was gone now. He'd fired the gun twice, so he knew he could do it again if he had to, but MegaMan's confidence in his aim was completely gone. 

"You don't know who you're messing with!" Was it his imagination, or did it sound like the pilot was doing more than a bit of posturing? "It must be your lucky day. I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell you what: I'll let this little incident slide if you agree to be my servant. Whaddaya say?" 

MegaMan stared up at the robot. "Me? Join up with pirates?" He thought about what he'd be leaving behind...his bed in the corner of the cargo hold, his galley chores, his aunts and uncles who paid him no attention, his cousins, Jaren, Mayl, _Frann_... 

"Sure," MegaMan said, flashing a wide smirk at the pirates. "Why not?" 

_Author's Note:_ How 'bout that for another swift update, eh? Damn straight!   
NEXT TIME: I Can't Sleep!

* * *

RETURN 


	5. I Can't Sleep!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 5:  
I Can't Sleep!

* * *

Okay, so the bright, white, flourescent light was keeping him awake. That wasn't too bad. It wasn't impossible to sleep in constant light---just very, very difficult. In fact, if that had been the only problem, he might well have dozed off by now. And he had to admit, the noise was making things difficult as well. Clanging pans, discussions held at well above normal, polite volume levels, and the occasional game of "Burple Bowling" were constantly echoing through the brightly-lit room. 

MegaMan clapped his hands over his ears as he heard cheering rise up to his left. "Strike!" someone yelled. 

Truth was, if it were only those things, he really might be able to catch up on his shuteye. 

If only Number Twenty would stop _staring_ at him! 

Maybe this had all been a mistake...? 

MegaMan had to admit, he'd been very frustrated when he'd agreed to go along with the pirates. After all, he thought, how could things possibly be any worse? A small flying ship had appeared on the horizon, descending just in front of the large robot. It was a dark purple color, with round, bulging eyes which looked a lot like those of a fish. The gold and refractors had been loaded up, and following instructions, MegaMan had climbed into the little ship himself. The robot grabbed on to the bottom of the craft with its left hand, the only one still in operation. MegaMan was grinning with sheer excitement as the ship soared into the air, the wind blowing through his brown hair and making the scar under his sorcerer's lock tingle. 

"Ummm...excuse me?" a soft, high-pitched voice inquired. 

"What is it?" MegaMan asked, straining to hear over the noise of the engine and rushing air. In fact, he couldn't see who exactly was speaking. Looking down, he saw it was another of the small blue-and-yellow robots he'd seen earlier. 

"I think we should shut the door now," the robot said, pushing the portal shut slowly but with determination. "It's dangerous to leave it open while we're in the air." 

That made senee. "Who are you?" asked MegaMan. 

The robot grinned, its eyes lighting up. "We're Servbots!" came the cheerful answer. 

"That's right!" said the Servbot at the controls, waving back at MegaMan. 

"Okay," MegaMan replied. "Where are we going?" 

"To the Gesellschaft!" said the first Servbot said, pointing higher in the sky. 

"That's our headquarters," said the one at the controls. "A giiiiant skyship." 

MegaMan looked in the indicated direction, and thought he spotted the Gesellschaft high above them. A large, sleek vessel, it loomed over them smaller ship he was in currently, and as they approached closer, he saw that it, too, was shaped like large fish. The fish's "mouth" opened, and the Servbot at the control panel guided it inside gently, letting the robot detach itself before touching down on the Gesellschaft's docking floor. 

"This is amazing," MegaMan said, "I've never been on a skyship before---" 

"Now, you listen to me!" A shrill female voice demanded. 

MegaMan whirled around to see a smartly-dressed girl, possibly his own age, emerging from the robot's cockpit. She was just a bit taller than he was, with her brown hair splayed in a wide, sort of fish-tail style. She wore a pink headband and hair large, round, brown eyes that matched the color of her hair. "If you ever, EVER take a shot at me again, I swear I'm gonna---" 

"What's your name?" MegaMan interrupted. 

The girl blinked twice, stunned silent. Then, with her cheeks beginning to flush, she spoke again, this time with at least seven decibels less volume. "Uhh...I'm Tron. Tron Bonne. Of the Bonnes." 

"Hi, Tron," MegaMan said, flashing a smile at her. "My name's MegaMan---" 

_-Trigger-_

"---Namagem." MegaMan blinked, confused by the disagreement in his head. 

"Hah!" Tron laughed. "MegaMan? Like on TV?" 

Now it was MegaMan's turn to flush. "No, not like on TV. My first name is actually my last name spelled backward." 

"Guess your parents didn't put a whole lot of thought into that, did they?" 

"Actually, I've never met my parents," MegaMan said calmly. "I was orphaned and found drifting at sea by my foster family. But, yes, I suppose you're right, they _didn't_ put a lot of thought into naming me." 

"Geez, sorry," Tron said, offended, every trace of her earlier embarrasment gone. "You're not the only one without parents, you know! Try to have some respect for other people!" 

"Uh, sure," he stammered, taken aback by her abrupt mood shift. 

Tron didn't give him a chance to recover, either, as she dropped the conversation entirely and, with the company of the Servbots, took him on a whirlwind tour of the skyship. "Okay, you've already seen the hangar, what else is on this floor...ah! Ship's storage is that way," she said, pointing towards the door at the south end of the hangar, "and the elevator to go upstairs is over here." Tron led the crew onto the lift and jabbed at one of the buttons. "See here? There are five floors on the Gesellschaft, Floor One is the bridge---you can access the deck from there, and Floor Five is the hangar. Got it?" 

MegaMan nodded. "If there're five floors, why's there six buttons?" 

Tron spun around and gave him a fiery glare. "Don't worry about that! You hear me? I don't care what happens, you never, ever, **_ever_**, push the red button! You understand me?" 

"Yeah, I got it," MegaMan answered irritably. "I'm not some little kid, you know---" 

Tron cut him off, addressing the Servbots. "And you guys don't touch it, either! I don't wanna hafta punish you like last time!..." 

"Oh, no!" the Servbots protested together. 

"We won't touch it, Miss Tron," one of them said, cringing. "We promise!" 

"Here we are," Tron said as the elevator stopped. "Floor Four: we're still working on that area to the right, and to the left is the gym." 

"That's my favorite room!" piped up a Servbot in the back. 

Tron punched another button, and the lift chugged upward again to Floor Three. "There's the cafeteria," Tron said, pointing straight ahead, "the laboratory is to our left, and that's...oh, that's just a broom closet." The girl hit another button and the lift continued up. "On Floor Two are our living quarters---not for you, of course, but we'll find you...somewhere to stay..." It might have been MegaMan's imagination, but he thought he saw Tron grin a little foolishly and blush again. 

After showing MegaMan the bridge, Tron sent the elevator back down once again and took MegaMan to the cafeteria. "I know we're too late for supper," she announced as they entered the large, well-lit room, "but I'm hoping that Number Twenty-One will be able to whip something up for us. I hate going to bed on an empty stomach." 

"I'm not really that hungry," MegaMan confessed, trying not to gawk at his surroundings. Both the kitchen and dining areas were immense. Compared to what the boy was used to on the _Blue Barnacle_, he was in the lap of luxury. Four wide, long tables were available to eat upon, and a few Servbots were currently seated, although none were eating at that particular moment. A stocky-looking Servbot trundled out with a large pot, ladled a bowl of noodle soup for Tron, then offered another to MegaMan. He shook his head. "If it's all right, Tron, I'll just go to bed. Where do I sleep?" 

"Looks like Table Four's free," Tron said, pointing to an empty table nearby. 

So he was spending the night in he cafeteria. It really wouldn't have been that bad, except for Tron hadn't explained quite _everything_ to him. As it turned out Servbots needed only an hour of sleep for every two days, so while MegaMan was trying to get some rest, they were still up and about. Oh, and the cafeteria was also a nighttime gathering place for the insomniac Servbots, who spent the wee hours gossiping, playing games, and doing mild calisthenics. And then one of them just kept staring at him. Constantly, unblinkingly staring. 

"What is it?" MegaMan finally demanded blearily. "Why are you looking at me?" 

"Ohhh, no reason," said the Servbot. "I just like looking at new things. I'm Servbot Number Twenty, by the way. It's very nice to meet you." 

"Yeah, great," MegaMan grumped, and rolled onto his side.   
  
_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I kind of liked the way this one turned out. Hope you did also. In response to a question asked on the review board, "AR" means "alternate reality," meaning taking the same characters as in the actual game and placing them in a completely different timeline. By the way, I did name Mayl after the other Mayl, kind of like there's a Roll in all the games, or Mr. Wily the boatman and DR. Wily.   
_NEXT TIME: Back In the Kitchen

* * *

RETURN 


	6. Back In the Kitchen

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 6:   
Back In The Kitchen

* * *

"Now, stir the curry sauce slowly but firmly," Number Twenty-One was saying. 

MegaMan grunted neutrally and did as he was instructed. Not only was he stuck back in the kitchen, of all places, but he was getting lessons on things he'd been doing for years! Still, at least Number Twenty-One was being nice about it. 

The Servbot cook beamed at MegaMan. "You're doing wonderfully!" 

"Thanks," MegaMan said without enthusiasm. "Look, really, I can do this on my own. You don't need to be here if you don't want to---you can go take a break, or work out, or something." 

"Well..." said Twenty-One, "I have been meaning to lose a few pounds..." 

It just at this precise second that Number Twenty-Nine, who was scrubbing out pots and pans in the sink before moving them to the industrial-size dishwasher, managed somehow to make the tap explode. While it did keep the Servbot from leaving the kitchen, it also kept him from further commentary on MegaMan's food preparation. As Number Twenty-One struggled to turn off the spurting water beneath the sink, MegaMan secretly added some lemon juice and extra curry powder to the sauce he was making for lunch. 

As the boy had suspected, the forty Servbots gave him a bevy of compliments, or at least, those who ordered the curry rice did. In fact, they heaped so much praise on him that he hoped Number Twenty-One wouldn't be jealous. 

"You must be pretty good," said the Servbot as he and MegaMan were finishing the post-meal cleanup. "I hope I don't have to worry about losing my job!" 

"Don't," the boy said quickly. "No offense, but I'd rather be doing almost anything than cooking. I've been ship's cook since my sixth birthday." 

"Okay!" Twenty-One said, apparently dropping the subject completely. "Do you like soft drinks?" 

"Do I like what?" 

"Soft drinks," said the Servbot, "you know, Lizard Cola, Berry Burple, Goo Gel-rific?" 

"No," MegaMan said, "I've never heard of any of those." 

The Servbot scratched its head in thought. "Umm...Berry Burple's what we use for Burple Bowling, remember? The empty bottles, at least." 

"Oh," MegaMan said, thinking back to his sleepless night, "right. Maybe I'll taste that sometime." 

"Here," said Number Twenty-One, reaching into the icebox. "Try one." 

MegaMan looked at the purple label, which was covered in bubbles and labeled, "Berry Burple: Taste (and re-taste) the Carbonation!" Shrugging, he unscrewed the plastic bottle's cap and tossed the beverage back. The flavor was amazing; he'd never tasted anything so sickeningly sweet before in his life. Still, he found that he immediately wanted another sip as soon as he finished swallowing the first taste. MegaMan began drinking as fast as he'd ever drunk anything before in his life. When the drink had been drained, MegaMan found he could not control the minutes-long belch that emerged from his gullet. 

"That's where it gets its name from," said Twenty-One. 

"I was wondering," MegaMan said, also wondering if he should procure another Berry Burple, "where was Tron for lunch? Doesn't she eat with you guys?" 

"Usually," said Twenty-One, "but I think she was out trying to get some money today." 

"Oh. Tell you what, I'm going to go see if she's here!" With that, MegaMan jogged out of the kitchen before the Servbot could say another word. 

MegaMan decided to look for Tron on the residence level, so he rode the elevator to Floor Two and, forgetting where Tron's room exactly was, popped into the first door he found. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. MegaMan was actually not sure that he he had entered another room at first, as the room was the same color as the hallway, but once he passed the long bookshelf and massive painting, he knew. Fortunately for him, there was one of the diminutive Servbots cleaning the floor. 

"Which one are you?" he asked. 

"Number Twenty-Eight, Mister MegaMan, sir," replied the Servbot. 

"Where am I?" 

"This is Master Teisel's room." 

MegaMan scratched his head. "Who?" 

"Master Teisel. He's Miss Tron's brother. He and Master Bon..." the Servbot sniffed. 

"What?" MegaMan demanded, but the Servbot was already to engrossed in his own crying fit to coherently answer. 

The boy shrugged. After failing to find Tron in her own room, he rode up to the bridge and waited for her to return from wherever she was. This took quite a while. In fact, after two or three hours, MegaMan tried playing around with the ship's controls. After a several reprimand from Number One, he decided not to attempt that again until after he'd received at least a bit of instruction. He'd begun teaching the bridge crew how to play paper-rock-scissors when Tron finally returned to the Gesellschaft. 

MegaMan politely requested an explanation from Tron on what exactly was going on. When Tron revealed how her brothers had been taken prisoner by a local crime syndicate, MegaMan was taken aback. When Tron told him what she'd been doing all day, MegaMan was flabbergasted. 

"You were exploring ruins while your brothers are missing? How is that helpful?!" 

Tron's reaction was somewhat more subdued than MegaMan had come to expect. "Look, I have to get enough money to pay their ransom, okay!?" She pointed to the large color map of Ryship Island. "We have several different money-making opportunities on the island, here, and I've got to use them to---" 

MegaMan snorted. "Are you guys pirates, or what? Pirates don't pay ransoms, they just take what they want. Why don't we just go and kidnap your brothers right back?" 

Tron's cheeks flushed and her lip began to quiver. "You just don't understand, I---ooooh! You make me so angry!" She turned completely away from her new servant. "There's nothing that...the plan doesn't...!" After an instant of complete silence, Tron growled and began crumpling up the map, which she then threw the wad of paper directly at MegaMan. It bounced harmlessly off his chest. 

"What's the problem?" he asked. 

"The problem," Tron said, "is that you're absolutely right! All right, boys, ready the Gustaff! We're going in to get my brothers back post-haste!" 

"Roo--gerrr!" sang the Servbots in unison. 

"Don't make a habit of this," Tron warned MegaMan, not unfondly.   
  
NEXT TIME: Underground Break-In, and Why Servbots Should Not Drive

* * *

RETURN 


	7. Underground BreakIn, and Why Servbots Sh...

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 7:  
Underground Break-In, and Why Servbots Should Not Drive

* * *

Teisel Bonne grunted in impatience, scratching the several days' worth of stubble that adorned his face. How long _was_ Tron going to take, anyway? He wouldn't be able to hide the Golden Refractor for much longer, at the rate Loath had his shanghaied Diggers working. Teisel had actually found it buried deep in a pile of ancient rubble, only a day after his arrival. Knowing that Loath would lock it away once it had been found, Teisel had placed the three-tiered refractor in a worn-out hole in the wall of the ruins. Then, he'd placed another metallic sheet in front of the hole, concealing it from all other Diggers---he hadn't even told Bon where it was. 

"Oooh!" he shouted. "Where _is_ that girl?" 

Tron should have been here much, much earlier. Teisel realized they hadn't had the time to place the tracking device in his own armor, because Glyde had caught up to him well before he'd been ready. Still, the island wasn't that large. Looking manually, Tron still should have been able to locate him and Bon by now. Unless, that was, some other difficulty had come up of which Teisel was unaware. 

A small, furtive tapping came at the iron door. "Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice called softly through the window slot, "are you Bon Bonne?" 

Lost in his thoughts, Teisel waved an impatient hand at the unseen person. "No, I'm not! He's next door." 

"Thanks," said the stranger. As Teisel continued to puzzle out just exactly what Tron was doing, the voice filtered through the door once more, a little bit softer this time. "He says Bon's in the next cell over." 

"Yay!" cried a high-pitched voice which sounded suspiciously like a Servbot's. "Now we just have to find Master Teisel and we'll be done!" 

"Well," corrected the other voice, "we have to get out of here first, remember..." 

Teisel's head snapped up as the importance of these current events dawned on him. "Hey!" he ejected, leaping onto the thick door and rattling the bars, "It's me! I'm Teisel! Oh, let me out, why don't you!?" 

"Master Teisel!" yelled a Servbot. 

"Stand back," said the unidentified voice. "I'll blow the door." 

Teisel crouched behind his bunk, covering his head with arms. After the shattering boom, he rose and watched smoke rise off the door to his cell, which then abruptly fell to the ground. "Number Fifteen! Number Three!" he called out joyfully to the Servbots, who were waving at him and beaming smiles. 

"Let's get Bon out," Teisel ordered, and the Servbots quickly repeated the process of attaching explosive charges to Bon Bonne's door. He eyed the newcomer, a boy he did not recognize. He was about Tron's age, maybe a year or two younger, and had a head of unruly brown hair, save for one white lock at his left temple. His clothes looked plain---the white shirt and brown trousers both looked well-worn, as though he'd not only worn them for years, but two other someones before him had done so as well. "And who might you be?" 

The boy nodded to him. "I'm MegaMan Tr..." After flinching a bit, he recovered and said, "Your sister sent us to get you. We split up about..hmm...three corridors back." 

"MegaMan?! Like my favorite TV show?" Teisel nearly laughed. So, Tron had finally caught herself a boyfriend. If Teisel's late father had been here now, he'd have broken out in a conniption fit. 

MegaMan's eyes narrowed, only for a split-second, but Teisel still caught it. "Not exactly. Look, we need to get moving pretty fast, and I noticed a small car just around the corner. Do we need keys to use it?" 

"I don't think so. Even if we do, I can use an old pirate trick of mine to start it." Okay, hotwiring a car wasn't really an old pirate trick---he'd learned it in his misspent youth, skipping the lessons his parents had so painstakingly arranged for him and gallivanting around Marabonne City. Well, he'd arranged his own lessons on the street, and those were certainly coming in handy now. 

Teisel and MegaMan had reached the vehicle, a loud explosion sounded, indicating Bon was now free as well. "This isn't precisely what I'd call small," said Teisel. The car had no top, but had plently of room, with two seats in front and a wide bench in the back. In addition, a rather large chaingun was mounted to its rear, with a platform for the gunner to stand upon while the car was in motion. Teisel utilized his "old pirate trick," then hopped into the gunner's roost, signaling for MegaMan to get in the driver's seat. 

The boy looked flustered. "Umm...I've never even driven a crane before..." 

"You've gotta learn sometime," Teisel said, rolling his eyes. Before MegaMan could protest again, the two Servbots and Bon Bonne rounded the corner. Bon crowed in delight as he saw his brother free. "Hey, baby brother! Ready to get out of here? Hey, meet Tron's new boyfriend!" 

"Babu!" Bon said. 

"I'm not really her---wait," MegaMan said, staring at the enormous Bon. "He's your _baby_ brother?" 

"Bab-oooo!" Bon agreed. 

"Ah, you see," Teisel said, as Bon and the Servbots crowded into the seats, "that's kind of complicated. Just before our beloved parents---" Teisel was cut off by the sound of gunfire in the distance. "Never mind that now," he growled, "Tron may be in trouble. Let's _MOVE OUT!_" With this, Teisel pointed dramatically forward. When nothing happened, he pointed again, then demanded, "What's the holdup, here?!" 

MegaMan jumped into the passenger's seat. "Number Three, take over." 

"Roger!" the Servbot said, shifting the car into gear and taking off. 

"I can't drive at all," MegaMan explained to Teisel. "I think I'll do a better job riding shotgun, as it were." He brandished said gun, re-loading it, then cocking the weapon. 

"Fine," sighed Teisel. "Now, let's _**MOVE OUT!!!**_" 

This time, the assault vehicle did, indeed, move out as was intended. Number Three seemed to be having difficulty with both using the pedals and seeing over the dashboard at the same time, though Teisel was not overly concerned. They weren't driving long before a couple of small robots appeared in front of them. 

"Oh, no!" wailed Number Fifteen, shaking so hard in the backseat that Teisel could feel it through the floor. "Birdbots!" 

"You mean _those_ are the robots you guys are so afraid of?" MegaMan's voice sounded skeptical. 

"Y-yes!" said Number Fifteen. "They're scary!!" 

"Keh keh!" one of the Birdbots said as they drew closer. "You losers can't---" The robot's annoying voice was cut off by a blast from MegaMan's shotgun. Both Birdbots were thrown back, their gears grinding and smoking. 

"They seem like easy pickings to me," MegaMan said smugly, re-cocking the gun. 

Number Three stomped on the gas pedal, and the car took off once again, zooming towards the sounds of a furious battle. The problem with the builders of the ruins, as it turned out, was that they often took no discernable pattern when designing the structures. Poor Number Three had to take many twists, odd loops, and occasionally, right angles to make any progress, and with the way the he was constantly slamming into the sides and corners of the ruins, it made the drive uncomfortable, to say the least. Finally, the five pirates arrived at a large, ominous room, where the Gustaff was engaged in a furious battle with Glyde's slender robotic armor. 

"What is that?!" said MegaMan, looking in a direction perpindicular to the combatants. 

"That," said Teisel, "is the Colossus. Once Loath finds the Golden Refractor, he'll use it to power that giant machine. With it, he could probably take over all of the nearby island chains." Teisel rubbed his chin, a mischeivous smirk on his face. "I pulled one over on him, though. I found the Golden Refractor last week and hid it in a crater!" 

"Oooooh," oooohed Servbot Number Three, who, distracted by the Colossus as he was, immediately rammed the car into a nearby wall, throwing all the car's occupants except Bon out of their seats. 

"Number _Three_!" Teisel rubbed his head as he climbed back into the gunner's roost. "Bon! Get over there and give Tron a hand! I'll do what I can from here!" Teisel turned the chaingun completely around, so that it faced the car's rear, and, waiting for the right moment, let a volley of bullets fly towards Glyde. 

Accustomed as he was to taking command, Teisel had forgotten the presence of MegaMan in his issued orders. Left to his own devices, MegaMan gave his current situation a bit of thought, then looked down at the two Servbots. "All right," he said tentatively, "do you guys have any Bonne Bombs on you?" 

"Sure!" replied the two. 

"Okay, then," said MegaMan, "let's head over to that Colossus thing and see if use them and the explosives I have left to blow it up!" 

Three and Fifteen saluted, then followed MegaMan down the slanted floor towards the Colossus, which was big enough to seem like some sort of aircraft carrier. Acting on what seemed like instict, MegaMan darted behind a multicolored pillar, planting a timed explosive on its base. He was leading the Servbots on, looking back at them, when he ran into an obstruction and fell hard on his rump. It was man, but his girth seemed so massive as to be inhuman. He was covered in pastels: purple suit, plum shirt, pink scarf. He face was twisted in a cruel expression, and his prosthetic metal nose was pointed cruelly. 

Loath grimaced down at MegaMan. "And just what do you think _you're_ doing?" 

NEXT TIME: Fight to the Finish

* * *


	8. Fight to the Finish

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 8:  
Fight to the Finish

* * *

Loath split his mouth in a sinister smile as MegaMan sat haplessly on the base of the Colossus. "You see, my boy, I can't let you blow up this marvelous machine. It's simply too valuable. I have big plans for it, yes I do." 

Servbots Number Three and Fifteen were cowering behind MegaMan's back, for all the good it would do them. The boy looked down at his plain white deck shirt, so worn with use it now appeared grey. Tron had offered to give him some old armor plating, but it looked so ugly that MegaMan had just plain refused. This meant the armor was exceptionally bad-looking when taking his low standards for clothing into mind. Still, despite the fact that Loath was seemingly unarmed, MegaMan felt the need for some extra protection. 

"Three, Fifteen," MegaMan said calmly, pushing himself back to his feet, "go finish planting the bombs. All of them." MegaMan, too, was weaponless; he'd left his shotgun in the car, and even if he hadn't, he run out of shells, anyway. "You guys have done a great job so far. I just need you to do one thing for me: just set all of the bombs, okay? Put as many bombs as you can around those pillars, and try to find the control panel and put one there, too." MegaMan realized that he probably shouldn't know where the weak points of the Colossus were, and yet somehow, he did. 

"R-roger," Three said, while Fifteen chimed in with, "Yes, sir, Mister MegaMan, sir!" 

Loath grimaced even more, if that was possible. "What makes you think I'm going to let your little friends do anything, let alone destroy my Colossus?" 

"I think you'll be a little busy," MegaMan said, clenching his fists at his sides. He felt something click in his mind, and let that feeling take over his conscious actions. 

Loath threw the first punch. MegaMan could tell Loath was fairly strong as the blow connected, but this bloated beta was still so outmatched, it was almost embarrassing. He blocked Loath's second blow with a lazily outstretched palm, then drove his booted foot into the crimelord's stomach. Loath's breath wheezed out shortly, and he backed off a bit. 

"You're...stronger than I thought," Loath gasped, clutching his stomach. 

Loath's opponent stared at him darkly. Not wanting to wait another second, Loath launched another attack at him, landing two punches on the boy's body. Then, Loath raised his arms over his head, striking down with a forceful two-handed blow. Loath put his palm flat on his opponent's chest, shoving him gently back and toppling him over to land flat on his back. 

At least, that's how it was supposed to happen. 

Before Loath could bring down his two-handed hammer, his opponent head-butted him, then fired three rapid punches to Loath's chest. He then lifted Loath over his head, twirled the well-dressed gentleman around four times, and threw him through the stone wall of the cave. Loath's shrill screaming was cut short by a huge splash as he fell into the ocean. 

Huffing, MegaMan found that he had returned to a sense of himself. For a second, he wondered what had become of Loath, but recalled once he saw the sunlight streaming through an impact crater in the wall of the ruins. He scanned the Colossus for the Servbots---not for very long, as it turned out. They were already running back towards him. 

"Let's get out of here!" Three yelled. "The bombs will blow up reeeeealy soon now!" 

MegaMan grabbed a Servbot under each arm and bolted to the edge of the Colossus. As he reached the edge, he dove forward, all three tumbling to the ground. As the Colossus had not exploded by this point, they all rose to their feet and continued running to the chamber's exit, only to be knocked down once again as the bombs exploded. MegaMan scampered to his feet, leading the Servbots ahead. 

Tron's fight was going badly, Teisel realized, as that boy ran off with _his_ two Servbots. Teisel lay down some more covering fire for his sister. The bullets _plinked_ harmlessly off Glyde's robotic frame---in fact, Teisel wasn't certain Glyde even noticed him at all. The Gustaff was starting to give off smoke, and he could do nothing? And where was Bon, anyway? 

Teisel stepped heavily off the wrecked car. Taking immediate action, he lunged at Glyde's robotic armor, which, upon later reflection, was probably a mistake. Glyde's attacks didn't even slow down as the young pirate hung listlessly from its shoulder joints, being swung back and forth like a large, bulky, olive green cape. Forcing the contents of his stomach back down, Teisel called out to Tron's remaining four Servbots. "Hey! Whoa!" Glyde really needed to stop moving so fast. "Hey! Guys! Get over here! That's an order!" Quickly all four Servbots leapt onto Glyde's robot, which, in combination with Teisel's own efforts, actually managed to slow the its attack down somewhat. 

"Yah!" the Servbots shouted randomly, trying to hold Glyde immobile. Unfortunately, Glyde was only momentarily ensnared, and quickly shook off the bothersome Bonnes. 

"Ooof!" Teisel expostulated as he hit the ground face-first. He rolled painfully to his feet, searching in vain for some weapon to use against his sister's foe. 

"Babu!" Bon said, leaping into the fray. The younger Bonne brother was carrying a rather large rafter, one which must have come loose from the ruins' frame over the centuries. Bon reared back and brought the rafter down rather painfully hard on the headpiece of Glyde's robot. This gave Tron the opportunity she needed. She drew the Gustaff backwards and let fly with its gatling gun. Glyde was knocked backwards, shaken but not out of the fight. It was at this point that the Colossus exploded. 

All of the combatants. major or minor, were thrown off their feet as the ground quaked. Luckily, Tron recovered before Glyde and was able to finish the mobster off with a megaton-sized punch. Glyde's frame began shuddered, then began smoking. 

"My scarf!" Glyde cried pitifully, emerging from his cockpit covered in soot. He plaintively shook the offended golden garment, which was itself blackened and slightly scorched from the explosion. "I'm sending you the cleaning bill, Tron Bonne!" 

"Hah!" Tron said from the Gustaff's external speaker. "It's not like I can't afford it!" 

"That's right, Tron!" Teisel said, beaming as he approached his sister. "Especially with the Golden Refractor in our grasp!" 

"The Golden Refractor?" Glyde sounded shocked. "You mean you found it?" 

"That's right," sneered Teisel, "and once we plug it into the Colossus, this island will be easy pickings for the Family Bonne!" 

"Baboooo," Bon moaned. 

"Hm? What is it, Bon?" 

"He's trying to tell you that the Colossus just blew up!" Tron shouted, pointing the Gustaff's finger at the now-sinking colossal war machine. 

Teisel's jaw dropped. "No..." 

"Hi, guys," MegaMan said, sidling up to the rest. "What're you looking at?" 

"The Colossus," Teisel wailed. "It's blown up! What happened!?" 

"Oh," said MegaMan nonchalantly, "well, Loath tried to attack us, so I beat him up and then tossed him out into the ocean." 

Glyde's eyes widened. "What? Mr. Loath is out in the water? But he _hates_ getting wet!" Glyde began sprinting for the ocean, arms flailing as he shouted, "Hold on Mr. Loath! I'm coming to save you!" Two of the remaining Birdbots chased after him, quacking incessantly and following the well-dressed henchman into the drink. 

Some faint splashing and hollering could be heard in the background as MegaMan continued his explanation. "Anyway, while Loath and I were fighting, I had Numbers Three and Fifteen set Bonne Bombs at the Colossus weak points, and obviously it worked." 

Teisel stared in disbelief at the boy. "YOU...are the one who blew up the Colossus?" 

"Yeah," said MegaMan. "I thought Loath might try to use it against you, or Tron, or something..." 

Eyes ablaze, Teisel threw MegaMan back against the ruined wall. "_What the hell were you thinking?_" he screamed.   
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Looks like ol' Megsy's in big trouble now, eh? Hey, chadthehedgehog, Glyde.EXE is actually based off of Glyde from Tron Bonne/Legends 2, although they don't look too much alike. Glyde (from Legends) is also credited with being one of the first openly gay characters in video game history. Obviously, many of the characters in Battle Network are based from, or at least share names with, characters from other MegaMan continuities. Give me more reviews because of my poor self-esteem. I COMMAND you! **  
  
NEXT TIME: Don't Throw That Away!

* * *


	9. Don't Throw That Away!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 9:  
Don't Throw That Away!

* * *

Teisel's breath rushed out his bared teeth as he held MegaMan pinned against the wall. "I was going to use the Colossus to take over Mar...I mean, to terrorize and pillage dozens of islands! How _dare_ you destroy it!" 

"Teisel!" Tron hollered, climbing out of the Gustaff's cockpit. "What are you doing?" 

"Your boyfriend here just destroyed the Colossus," growled Teisel, inclining his head slightly. 

Tron's face reddened. "What?" she asked, putting a hand to her cheek. "My...boyfriend?" 

Seeing Tron's apparent inability to help, MegaMan shivered, his eyes wide as dinner plates. Gulping, he said, "I don't suppose a simple apology would make this any better?" 

Teisel's eyes narrowed. "What do you think?" 

"Uh, I'm sorry?" 

Teisel smiled broadly and released MegaMan, patting him proudly on the back. "That's all I needed to hear!" He strode over to the Gustaff and gave his sister a tight hug. "Now that we're all back together, I know we can do anything, Colossus or no! Right, Bon?" 

"Babu!" Bon agreed. The Servbots chimed in as well, doing cartwheels and backflips behind the biggest Bonne. 

"Let's get out of here!" Teisel said. "Call in the Draches, Tron." 

"Send two Draches down immediately!" Tron ordered into her radio. 

The Draches came, and everyone boarded. As the small flying ships headed back for the Gesellschaft, Teisel told MegaMan, "Once we get back to the ship, we'll have a huge celebration." He thought about that for a minute. "Hmm, now that I think about it, we'd better rest up first. So, first, we'll all head to our rooms and sleep, then we'll have our party tomorrow!" 

"I don't have a room," said MegaMan. 

"What?" 

"I don't have a room," MegaMan repeated. "I've been sleeping on Cafe Table Number Four." 

"That just won't do," said Teisel. "We'll have to see what we can work out." 

After the party had returned to the Gesellschaft, Teisel made good on his promise and set all forty Servbots to helping MegaMan build himself a bedroom. Since there was no space left on the residence level, the room had to be constructed on the Storage Level. Luckily, there were still a few construction materials left from when the Gesellschaft had been built. Despite the usual amount of horseplay one might expect from a large gathering of Servbots, the project was actually completed fairly quickly, in only three days. MegaMan had to make do with a spare cot that Bon had found in a nearby closet until a suitable bed could be stolen for him, but he found that it was far preferable to sleeping on a dining room table. 

Yes, it was in the cargo bay again, but at least he had a space of his own. It was a different place from where he'd thought he might end up, but it was pleasant nonetheless. They'd offered to build him his own bathroom, even, but he'd told them since the Servbot bathroom was on the same floor, he'd just use that one. He wasn't positive that the Servbots actually _needed_ a bathroom, anyway. 

The first night he went in to the Servbot bathroom, he was astounded at just how packed it was. No less than fifteen Servbots were taking showers, brushing their teeth, exfoliating, and trying to climb up the doors of the toilet stalls. MegaMan hoped they were not attempting to spy on other Servbots within the stalls, but the whole idea was so ridiculous he drove it as far out of his mind as possible. 

MegaMan removed his new toothbrush out of the wrapper, but realized he'd have to brush dry unless he asked one of the bathroom's other occupants for help. He looked down at the Servbot using the sink nearest him, one he thought he recognized. "Hey, Number Twenty-Eight, can I borrow your toothpaste?" 

"Oh, I'm not Twenty-Eight," the Servbot assured him, "I'm Number Thirty-Nine. Everyone says we look a lot alike. Here," he continued, handing him his tube of dentifrice, "you can use it. Go ahead." 

"Uh, thanks," said MegaMan, squeezing a little onto his brush. He watched Thirty-Nine brush his teeth and nearly laughed aloud at the absurdity of the action. Imagine, a robot brushing its teeth. Nothing could have been more ludicrous, MegaMan thought as he began brushing his own teeth. 

The next morning, the day of the celebration, MegaMan was awoken in his cot by an odd mechanical noise. He leaped up, threw on his trousers, and rushed outside to see what was going on. One of the Servbots was operating a control panel, opening the storage bay doors. A bunch of random items were piled in front of them. 

"Hold it!" MegaMan yelled, running towards the panel. "What's going on?" 

"I'm throwing away all of the garbage, just like Miss Tron told me to," the Servbot said, grabbing a broom. 

"I don't think that's all garbage," MegaMan told him, inspecting the pile more closely. "See? This is a small generator, a couple cans of corn---what's this? Hey! It's the Golden Refractor!" MegaMan drew the three-pointed golden energy source out from in between a old saxophone and a floor lamp. 

"Uh-oh..." said the Servbot. 

MegaMan stared accusingly at him. "You were going to throw away the Golden Refractor?" 

"I didn't know it was in there," the Servbot wailed. "Please don't tell Miss Tron!" 

"Shut the doors," MegaMan ordered. "We'll sort out all this stuff and see what really needs to be thrown away." 

After the pile had been sorted, they found that only about half of the items that were going to be tossed out of the ship were actually trash. MegaMan helped the Servbot throw the rest away, then just barely had time to shower before the celebration took place. 

"Here," MegaMan said to Tron as he entered the cafeteria, presenting her with the Golden Refractor. "I think you'd better hold onto this. I found...I found it just lying around down in storage. Someone could have just thrown it away or something." 

"Um, thank you," Tron said, shuffling her feet a little. MegaMan thought she looked a little nervous, but he had no idea why. "I'll just...put it in my room for safekeeping." 

MegaMan shrugged as she darted away. What had that been all about? He gave up on trying to figure out girls as he looked around the lavishly-decorated cafeteria. A big banner that screamed, "Welcome back, Teisel and Bon," adorned the area just above the kitchen, while pastel-colored balloons could be found in every corner of the room. Bon and a Servbot were playing volleyball over a table with one of them. Several other Servbots were playing Burple Bowling in the long, empty area to the side of the coffee maker. Maybe MegaMan would join them in a few minutes. The boy picked out a bottle of Berry Burple out of the cooler, popped it open, and began the process of making another bowling pin. 

"Well, my boy," Teisel's voice came from behind him, "it looks like we can close the books on another grand adventure for the Bonne family." 

"Mmm-hmm," MegaMan said, his mouth full of Berry Burple. 

"Still," Teisel said, scratching his chin, "I wonder what use Tron will find for the Golden Refractor. Most refractors have only two points, you know, and it has three. It must be very difficult to spin properly." 

"Yup," MegaMan said, opening another bottle of Berry Burple and proceeding to chug it. 

Teisel was still expounding on his thought. "If we use it correctly, the Golden Refractor's power is _limitless_!" Teisel laughed maniacally. Abruptly his face sobered. "I hope she can figure it out," he mumbled. 

"MegaMan!" Tron barked, storming back into the cafeteria. "Did you get this out of the trash?!" she demanded, holding up an ancient saxophone, one which looked very familiar to MegaMan. 

"Yes," said MegaMan shortly, trying to keep his gullet closed. 

"Do you know where I found it?!" Tron ranted. After MegaMan shook his head, she continued, "I found it in the Training Room, where Number Twelve was playing it!" Apparently, Tron's rage at Number Twelve's squeaky, out-of-tune saxophone playing was spilling over onto him, but he hadn't actually _intended_ to offend Tron personally when he took the instrument out of the trash. "...I programmed him, and I STILL don't know why he can't play an A-flat!" Teisel was actually taking shelter behind Bon at this point. 

MegaMan actually had begun to formulate an answer and was opening his mouth to speak when the largest belch anyone in the room had ever heard emerged from it. Everyone started laughing, which made Tron even angrier. She began an even louder tirade against him. 

MegaMan didn't care. Tron was still the nicest girl he'd ever known.  
  
NEXT TIME: Dantz's Big Mistake

* * *


	10. Dantz's Big Mistake

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 10:  
Dantz's Big Mistake 

* * *

Dantz waited impatiently for the water to drain from the airlock. He began fidgeting as the fluid level lowered slowly, slowly, even slower---wouldn't it ever be DONE? Finally, the last of the water disappeared through the invisible vents, and Dantz was able to take off his diving helmet. He set the helmet and air tanks in the corner of the inner chamber as the transparent screen lowered, allowing access to the ruins within. 

After peeling off his diving suit, he tossed it loosely in the corner of the airlock chamber. Dantz wasn't worried about anyone stealing his stuff---Reaverbots generally left any junk randomly lying around the ruins alone. 

"Ow!" Case in point. Dantz tried not to swear as he tripped over another piece of random junk. He didn't want to offend the Spotter listening to him on the radio channel. 

"_Is everything all right down there, Dantz?_" his Spotter asked. 

"A-O-K," replied the Digger, rummaging around in his pack for his armaments. Dantz hated wearing armor, but had to admit his mismatched grey ceramic plate was more than necessary when dealing with the stronger Reaverbots that hung out in places like this one. Of course, Dantz's stylish orange mining helmet always looked good on him, and provided important head protection as well. "I've entered the main part of the ruins, and I'm proceeding inward." 

The Digger fitted the Dantz Blaster on his arm and charged it up, hooking his other gun into the handy loop on his belt. The entryway split off into two corridors. Dantz chose the left one, following it to a dead end. Not much was there, not even any Reaverbots. Using his superior Digger's senses, Dantz reached into a small crevice in the metallic wall and pulled out a few small refractors, probably worth a few thousand zenny. He tucked it into the rucksack and returned from where he had come. 

"Do you see much ahead?" he asked as he started down the second corridor. 

"_Not much, Dantz,_" his Spotter replied. "_I think there are a couple small Reaverbots about thirty yards in front of you, but that's about it._" 

"All right," Dantz said cheerfully, striding up the hallway with confidence. Those kind of adversaries were ones he could handle easily. He absolutely _hated_ it when there were too many Reaverbots around. It made his insides go all cold. Still, a Digger's job was never easy, and he wouldn't get any work done OR support his family by complaining! "I heard that no one's been down here for twenty years. Is that true?" 

"_Actually, it's been sixteen years, Dantz, but that one person is the only one, besides you, that is, that's explored these ruins for more than fifty years._" 

Dantz grunted. He hoped that last Digger that had been here had knocked out all the tough Reaverbots and left all the good treasure. He sighed. That basically never, ever happened. Those two Reaverbots he'd been warned about were in front of him now. No big deal for Dantz, though. The first one took three shots from the Dantz Blaster and collapsed. The second was a little tougher. 

The one good thing about Reaverbots, Dantz thought as he somersaulted around the sentry, was that they always took a couple of extra seconds to aim. For instance, if Dantz had needed to track the Reaverbot, he could have just followed it with his eyes and fired as soon as it stopped moving. The sentry's swivel-head, however, took a much longer to move and re-adjust. This instant gave Dantz the chance to finish it off with a quick round from his weapon. 

He searched through the broken Reaverbots and pocketed their refractors. Not for the first time, Dantz wondered if he should finish taking their bodies apart, but he realized that no matter how far he scattered their robotic remains, the small cleaning Reaverbots would collect the parts and re-assemble them easily. That was why anytime it seemed like a Digger had cleared all of the Reaverbots out of some ruins, if he came back to those same ruins later, more guardians would be present, in basically the same formation as they had been earlier. 

"_The next room is clear_," his Spotter informed him. 

"Great," Dantz said, punching the button that slid open the door. He was always amazed that mechanisms that were obviously centuries old still worked so well. The next room was an long, rectangular chamber seemingly empty. Dantz poked around the walls, but nothing seemed to be hidden within them. As he neared the next portal, a small notch in the wall paneling caught his eye. Unable to reach the small switch inside with his finger, Dantz began rifling through his pack----let's see, his canteen, some rations, his trusty pickax, buzzsaw cufflinks, a few zenny...aha! Here was something he could use: a long yellow pipe cleaner. Why was this in here, anyway? 

Shrugging, Dantz stuck the pipe cleaner into the depression, and a hidden door slid open. No one had been in here for decades, even Reaverbots, Dantz could tell, because of the thick layer of dust and mold that covered every nook and cranny. At the end of the short hallway, Dantz found an unopened treasure box. He'd often wondered why the Ancients decided to leave certain items in latched boxes in the ruins, and why some were locked and others weren't. Still, he couldn't argue with the results---namely, money in his pockets. 

Dantz grabbed the handful of zenny from the treasure box and continued forward in the ruins. He blasted a few Reaverbots along the way, pocketing the refractors that had powered them. That was another thing. "I was wondering," Dantz said aloud as he continued on, "where do the new refractors come from?" 

"_What do you mean? There aren't any 'new' refractors, are there?_" 

"I don't think so," said Dantz. "When Diggers put down Reaverbots, they usually take their refractors out, right?" 

"_Sure,_" his Spotter responded. 

"Okay, then, when those Reaverbots are fixed by the repair-bots, where do they get those refractors from? They have to come from somewhere." 

"_I don't know. Maybe the repair-bots make them._" 

"Maybe," Dantz allowed. "Or maybe the Refractors are...I don't know, teleported in from somewhere else, like the Motherlode or somewhere. I don't know, just thinking out loud." 

"_That's an interesting idea, Dantz, but maybe we should talk about it later._" 

"Yeah, right now I have other things to worry about," said Dantz, entering a large, domed room. "All right, hold it, I know what's in here." Dantz placed his hands on his armored hips. "There's a huge, gigantic Reaverbot in here, right? And it's gonna pop down from the ceiling any minute and attack me." 

"_I'm not showing anything unusual down there, Dantz_," said his Spotter, "_but there's a huge refractor in the next room._" 

"You're kidding me," Dantz said warily as he crossed the wide, open floor. "There's no oh-my-God-it's-so-big, monster-ific guardian in here? That's good news, but I can't really believe it." Dantz raised his eyes upward, but just as he'd been told, no Reaverbot lay in wait to drop on him. Dantz didn't even give himself time to shrug, but zoomed across the domed room and into the power chamber. 

Once he'd opened the door, Dantz checked out the control panel. This one wasn't as hard to understand as usual, although the language of the Ancients still made little sense to him. Grinning, he lowered the forcefield, ran up to the generator, and removed the huge purple refractor, which he secreted away in his rucksack. He bolted for the next room, but he heard the telltale rumbling even before his Spotter shouted out a warning. 

"_Dantz---_" 

"I know, I know," the Digger interrupted. "Your screen is showing an unbelivably huge, unbelievably nasty Reaverbot that just appeared out of nowhere, right?" 

"_Yes,_" his Spotter said meekly. 

"I knew it," Dantz said with resignation as the center of the floor split open, allowing a singularly horrific robotic guardian to emerge. It had six separate arms, each with long, clawed fingers, and a plasma cannon was embedded in its chest. An unfriendly red eye stared down from its head, as if telling Dantz that he should have known stealing refractors from these ruins carried a death sentence. "Do me a favor, will ya? Before the next time I go on a Dig, let's upgrade the sensors, huh? A _lot_." 

Dantz fired two shots from the Dantz Blaster, but could see that they impacted the monster's chest with no effect. He groaned. Okay, so he was going to have to work to find out the weakness, eh? He blasted the arms a few times, but while they were, in fact, knocked backwards, Dantz really didn't have the patience to try and destroy each one. The next logical step was the eye. Bingo. The robot staggered backwards as the plasma bullet collided with its ocular cavity. 

"Heh." Dantz pulled out his second favorite weapon, the Self-Contained Repeating Dantz-o-Matic. He aimed calmly at the eye and squeezed the trigger. Hundreds of bullets poured out the tip of the Dantz-o-Matic, striking the red eye. Luckily for Dantz, the robot also could not move while it was damaged. This made the job of finishing it off all the easier. 

Dantz sighed in relief as he collected the giant beast's refractors. While this hadn't been the easiest kill he'd ever had, it certainly hadn't been as bad as he'd expected. He ran out the door and back to the entry chamber as fast as he could. 

Taking the Dantz Blaster off his arm, he tucked it and the Dantz-o-Matic into the rucksack, then began putting on the diving suit. As Dantz was reaching for the diving helmet, something lying on the floor in front of the airlock caught his attention. What he had thought mere junk before was something else, a doll, maybe. As he looked closer, it did look like some sort of toy, but did the Reaverbots need toys? This would be an interesting find. He bent down to pick up the toy. 

A shot ricocheted off the wall just above his head. Dantz leapt back, reaching into his pack. He brought out the first weapon he could find, his pickax, and brought it crashing down on the small Reaverbot's head. It buzzed loudly, then crashed to the floor. After Dantz removed its refractors, he returned his attention to the toy. "How 'bout that, buddy? You saved the D-man's life! Must be good luck." He placed it into the sack, then zipped it up. After that, Dantz put the rucksack into the waterproof carrier and sealed it. 

"All right, Roll," Dantz said to his Spotter as he stuck on his diving helmet, "get ready. I'm coming back up." Dantz grinned as he punched the button which would fill the airlock chamber with water.

* * *


	11. Roll Out

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 11:  
Roll Out 

* * *

"_All right, Roll,_" Dantz said through the radio link, "_get ready. I'm coming back up_." With that, her Digger turned off the voicelink, evidently feeling he wouldn't need to speak to her again before returning to the Flutter. 

"Woo-hoo!" Roll cried, throwing her headset heedlessly on the console. Dantz had run a very successful Dig! From the figures she'd added up in her head, Roll guessed that her Digger had gathered more than twelve thousand zenny's worth of loot from the little-known ruins. She tossed her red, puffy hat into the air and danced a small jig around the Spotter's control room. 

Okay, maybe that was a little much. Roll caught her hat before it reached the ground and placed it atop her head demurely. She left the cramped Spotter's area and exited into her own bedroom, where a certain anthropomorphic robot was waiting for her. 

Quackard leapt shortly into the air, flapping his wings. "Keh keh! What's all the noise in here, huh?" After this, Quackard let out a squawk at length. Quackard had originally been part of an organized crime syndicate, a member of that special worker class known as Birdbots. After she and Dantz had had a run-in with the organization, Roll had snatched one of the broken-down Birdbots and tried to repair it after taking it home. It hadn't worked out quite as well as the young mechanic had originally hoped, but Roll had been able to alter the Birdbot's programming enough to make it non-hostile, even a productive member of the family. 

It was Barrel who had given the Birdbot its self-descriptive name. Dantz, Roll remembered with a smile, had wanted to call him either "Diggerduck," or "Dantz Jr." Obviously, neither of those would do, so Quackard it was. Unfortunately, one thing Roll had not been able to alter was Quackard's voicebox. Pretty much everything the Birdbot said was laced with a sarcastic overtone, and, of course, she could not remove his subroutine for bird noises---meaning, the squawking and screeching. The problem with this was that when Quackard squawked, it sounded more like a man trying to make bird noises than an actual bird. This fact alone occasionally caused both Dantz and Roll to collapse in gales of laughter, even when their robotic friend was telling them something completely serious, although Barrel apparently had the fortitude to forgo any giggling of his own. 

"It's nothing to worry about," Roll said to Quackard. "Dantz just finished up the job and got a whole boatload of refractors." 

"That's good news---errrreehhhhhlruuuuhhh!" This last, was, of course, what Quackard's unbearable squawking sounded like to the human ear. 

"Every little bit helps," Roll said, walking past the edge of her computer. As she did, she ran a finger down the photograph of her and her parents. She was only four or five at the time---she barely remembered it, but she knew that it was only days after the taking of that picture that her parents were lost, missing, and perhaps dead after an ill-fated attempt to reach the Motherlode. 

No, they couldn't be dead---she'd find them, soon enough. Or maybe Dantz would, if she was still too young to go on Digs herself. Laughing, she thought back to the time Dantz had actually let her go on a Dig with him. She was only twelve at the time, a virtual eternity away from her current mature age of fourteen. Anyway, things hadn't ended well, and a Reaverbot had nearly gotten her when the Dantz Blaster knocked her over on her behind. Fortunately, Dantz had been able to destroy it, saving her before anything bad had happened. 

Roll tried to push that awkward time from her mind as she exited her quarters and made her way to the bridge. She was nearly jumping out of her shoes with excitement. Twelve thousand (give or take) zenny! That didn't even count the huge refractor Dantz had found underneath the ocean. Maybe that would be compatible with the Flutter's engines! Depending on a couple of different factors, it could even increase the engine output. 

Roll leapt out of the captain's chair as she heard the Flutter's door unseal. "Dantz!" she cried, flinging her arms around her Digger's armored waist. 

"Hey, hey," Dantz said, twisting a little in her grasp, "settle down, Roll. I'm fine, and I've got the treasure. You should know that nothing can stop ol' Dantz when he's ready for action." He dropped his waterproof pack on the hardwood floor, trying to unbuckle the vise grip Roll had clamped on him. "Hey, Roll, seriously. At least let me take a shower---Digging's hard, hot work!" Then, Dantz found another tactic to try. "You know, maybe you should take a look at this funky thing I found down there," 

"What do you mean, 'funky?'" Roll asked, releasing Dantz and looking up at his tanned face. 

Dantz smirked, his ploy successful. "I don't know what it is---it looks like a toy. It's in the pack, so why don't you check it out while I'm in the shower?" 

"All right," Roll said, letting Dantz slip into his quarters while she opened the waterproof bag. Then she unzipped Dantz's worn leather backpack. Dozens of quantum refractors shined back at her, including the large, violet-colored one. Roll grinned as she sorted through the money, then found the item Dantz was talking about and extracted it. It did look funny, not like the other Reaverbot artifacts she'd seen, although those themselves were few and far between. The artifacts of which she was aware were generally very crudely made, without any moving parts or representations of faces. This, however, had both of these. 

Roll studied the toy carefully as she headed down to the laboratory. She was familiar enough with the Flutter's layout to not have to pay attention to her surroundings, pausing only to slide down the ladders when necessary. It did have a face, although its eyes were closed, and its large, vestigial ears were covered in brown fur. Its arms were flexible, and from the way they hung limply from their sockets, they must have been somewhat mobile. Still, their stubbiness indicated a somewhat limited range of movement. 

Her grandfather was already in the workshop when Roll popped in. "Hi, Grandpa!" she said, and, unaware that she had an erstwhile follower, slammed the door in Quackard's face. 

"Eeerrrreaaaaugh!" he squawked, pushing the door back open. "Watch the bill, baby. Keh-keh!" He rubbed his birdlike beak as he entered the workshop. 

"What have you got there, Roll?" Barrel asked, scratching the metallic half of his skull. 

"It's some kind of Reaverbot toy, or something," Roll said. Her grandfather had taken care of her ever since her parents disappeared. The only living he knew how to make, Barrel always said, was a Digger's living. Therefore, he'd taken the family airship out of mothballs and taken his granddaughter on several small expeditions, usually to various Refractor Mines around the northern islands. These were far less dangerous than Ruins and even had family encampments in some of them. 

They'd never stayed at any of them, though. They'd flittered around from Mine to Mine and made enough money to skate by, at some point picking Dantz up along the way, though it seemed to Roll that he'd been with her almost forever. Once Dantz had started Digging in the real Ruins, though, they'd come up with enough money to live comfortably, sprucing up the Flutter and afford the better varieties of food and drink---corn mush and de-salinated water were replaced by pizza and Berry Burple, which, if you asked Roll, was pretty much the greatest combination of comestible and beverage possible on Earth. Dantz was constantly trying to get her to switch to Lizard Cola, saying he was tired of her constant belching, but Roll's theory was that Dantz was just jealous of her burping ability---he'd never lasted more than ten seconds! 

"It looks like it may just be out of power," Barrel said, turning the toy onto its front side and opening a panel in its back. "Here's a electrical conduit. Let's try plugging it in and see if it starts up on its own." 

"Okay," said Roll, taking an electrical cord from the shelf and plugging it into the wall outlet. All electricity on the Flutter was connected to one generator, which was powered by a refractor. The engines had a separate generator, which meant a separate refractor, but that was a lot better than having the ship crash down in mid-air because someone's hair dryer was running too hot. That someone would have been Dantz, by the way---Roll always let her hair air-dry. 

"Ready?" she asked her grandfather. Barrel nodded, so she plunged the end of the electrical cord into the toy's back. It began squirming, then wobbling so uncontrollably that it began jumping off the worktable. Finally, it emitted a huge shriek and collapsed. The lights in Roll's workroom flared brightly, then went out completely. 

"That didn't work as well as I'd hoped," Barrel admitted. 

"No," said Roll, who realized the amount of work ahead of her. She likely would have to repair the generator, she realized. Hopefully the refractor hadn't shattered, but if it had, they might be able to use the one from the ruins to replace it. She sighed as she opened the door. As Roll headed for the engine room, she heard Dantz give a sharp shriek from the bathroom as the electrically-heated water turned ice cold. The Reaverbot toy would have to wait, at least for a little while.   
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTES: As I'm sure you can tell, things are going a little differently here than you might expect. Roll is a little less subdued than in the actual storyline, which mostly is because of her constant proximity to Dantz. While Dantz in the game was kind of a good-natured guy who thought he knew a lot but didn't, I figured he'd have to be at least an adequate Digger in this timeline, which can easily be explained by his association with Barrel Casket. Since he's much better at Digging, though, I thought he needed to be an even bigger blowhard than he originally was, so there we are. Dantz Blaster, indeed!  
Also, sorry there was no "next time" last time! **  
  
NEXT TIME: Dantz, Interrupted

* * *


	12. Dantz, Interrupted

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 12:  
Dantz, Interrupted 

* * *

"_Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's my hair I'm going to wash..._," Dantz sang as he shampooed his hair, heedless of the fact that his words simply didn't rhyme. "_I'm going to be so squeaky clean, heigh-ho, heigh-ho, heigh-ho, heigh---**OOHHH!**_" Dantz shrieked as the hot water showering down on him from the nozzle instantly turned dreadfully, intolerably cold. 

Suddenly the lights winked out. Dantz, stumbling in the darkness of the Flutter's bathroom, tripped over the edge of the shower basin while trying to escape the freezing water. "Ah!" he cried, grabbing onto the towel rack before he slipped completely and injured himself irreparably. "Dude, what's going on in here?" Confused, he smoothed his hair out of his eyes, realizing as he did so that there was still shampoo all over his head. Toweling it out wouldn't really work, so, wincing, he stuck his head under the icy water stream and scrubbed until his hair was squeaky clean. There wasn't really any need to use conditioner, was there? Well, it was dark, but it never hurt to---- 

"Hey, Dantz," Roll said, bursting into the bathroom, "are you all right? I heard you scream, so I picked up my night vision goggles and---" 

Dantz let out a sharp, high cry that Roll might have mistaken for one of her own if she hadn't known better. The Digger continued, jumping and yelping, over to where he thought the towel rack was. Unfortunately, he was incorrect and slammed into the wall, a goofy look on his face as his unclothed body slapped down on the tiled floor. "Roll, get out of here!" he shouted, trying to cover himself with his hands. 

"Don't worry, Dantz," she said, "I can't actually see anything...incriminating...with these goggles. They just show me blank outlines." 

"Really?" 

If Dantz had been able to see, he would never have trusted Roll's next words, as the pure deception in her sardonic smirk would have alerted him otherwise. Still, the lights were out, and he could not see said grin. All Dantz could see was the glowing green eyepieces of Roll's goggles. "Really," she repeated. "Now stop wasting time. We need to go downstairs and reset the power generator." 

"All right," Dantz said cautiously, "but I think I'd rather go to my room first and put on some shorts..." 

"No time," said Roll quickly. "Just wrap a towel around yourself or something, and let's go." 

Dantz shrugged, hanging the bath towel around his neck. It was dark, and Roll couldn't actually see him anyway. The two exited the bathroom and climbed down the ladder to the lowest level of the Flutter, with Dantz's wet feet nearly slipping on the third rung. Roll held Dantz's hand, leading him to the Engine Room, where she ordered him to wait by the master switch. Dantz shrugged and began toweling off his hair while he waited. This was going to take awhile. 

"The refractor's okay," Roll told him as she clanked around in the spinning chamber. "Looks like I'll just need to start it up again." Unless something jarred it, a spinning refractor could provide constant electrical energy up to a certain limit for practically unlimited periods of time. 

"That's good news," Dantz said. "How long will it take?" 

"Just about five minutes," Roll replied, climbing in deeper into the generator. "I'm going to reset the breakers and then crank the refractor back up." 

"All right," Dantz said, finished drying his hair. He placed the towel around his neck again and leaned against the generator, which vibrated gently each time Roll moved something around. That mechanical stuff wasn't really Dantz's forte, anyway. Roll sure was good with it, though. Dantz chuckled softly as he thought of the first time he'd met the girl. 

Dantz had always been a Digger; at least for the parts of his life that he cared to remember. Dantz had never known his father, and his mother had been a marginal presence in his Gold City childhood, a presence which was removed when she ran off just two days before his tenth birthday. There wasn't much work a ten-year-old boy could do in Gold City, and he was no way he would let himself go to an orphange, so Dantz started spending his days, and sometimes nights, up at the Shala-Kun Ruins. These were not ruins in the traditional sense, of course, but what experienced Diggers called "Refractor Mines." A Refractor Mine was slightly different from a Ruin in that it was much safer, with fewer Reaverbots and man-made hazards, although one still stumbled upon the occasional active trap within it. 

At first, Dantz merely stumbled around the dark cave, following other Diggers and learning from them. Sometimes he'd sift through some of the dirt and rock piles, pocketing the small refractors the miners had missed or left behind. This kept Dantz fed, although he was soon evicted from his mother's small basement apartment. This presented no problem to the boy, who merely began staying around the family camps just inside the mouth of the mine. Most families staying at the mine were transients, but a few stayed for extended periods of time. These families let Dantz occasionally sleep or eat in their camps, although he'd usually have to kick in a few dozen zenny. It was from one of these families Dantz had acquired his trademark miner's cap, complete with functioning light. 

Dantz smiled as he thought of his first meeting with young Roll. Dantz was young at that point too, only twelve, although he'd grown up and filled out some due to his hard work at Digging. Dantz had been hard at working, chopping away at the rock wall face with his trusty pickax, purchased from his hard-won sifting money when he first met her. After a few hard hours whittling away at the wall, he'd only found a few refractors. He'd taken a break when he noticed a small, blond-haired girl next to him. She looked up with her big, blue eyes, maybe a little embarrassed because she was searching through his leftovers. 

"Hi, there," Dantz had said. "I'm not sure that'll do you much good. I always check my Diggings pretty thoroughly. A Digger's gotta do that, you know." 

"Mmm-hmm," she nodded. "My name's Roll Casket. My Grandpa's a Digger, too! He's checking out the basement." Dantz guessed the girl was around six or seven years old. "You're really handsome." 

Dantz laughed indulgently as he tossed his pickax aside, wiping some sweat off his brow. "I'm Dantz. Dantz the Digger. I usually don't go downstairs too much. There's more treasure, but there are sometimes Reaverbots down there, too." A few months later, after discovering Dantz considered "the Digger" to be his true cognomen, she run around calling him "The" for several days until he'd finally told her to stop it. "But I was only calling you by your middle name," she'd protested. 

Anyway, Dantz had accompanied Roll back to her camp for the night and met Barrel, an old Digger of whom Dantz had actually heard, mostly from stories the other Diggers would tell. Barrel asked Dantz the next morning if he'd keep an eye on Roll during the day, and he agreed. By the time the Caskets were ready to leave Ryship Island, Barrel said he woudn't leave Dantz behind. Barrel and Roll fixed Dantz up a cabin on their skyship, the Flutter, and he'd been there ever since. 

Oh, there had been some hard times, like when Barrel had finally convinced Dantz to go Digging in some real ruins, and his first clash with the Reaverbots. He really, really, _really_ hated those Reaverbots. Overall, Dantz would have to say that he'd been extremely happy with his new home. 

"All right, Dantz, we're almost ready," Roll said, emerging from the reactor. Dantz could only tell by the two green glowing dots which were floating in mid-air. He remembered Roll saying something about how those eyepieces had been based upon her grandfather's mechanical eye. At least he thought so. 

The green lenses tilted a little as Roll came to stand in front of Dantz. She giggled. "Okay, Dantz---heh---I'm going to start the crank now. Get ready to flip the switch." 

"You got it," Dantz said, placing his right hand firmly on the handle. 

The engine room door opened as Roll began turning the refractor by hand. "Are you guys almost finished in here?..." Barrel's voice trailed off. "Dantz, are you naked?" 

Dantz looked at Barrel's single glowing eye quizzically. "Um, yeah, Barrel, but it's okay. It's pitch black in here." 

"Roll and I can see you, you idiot! What do you think night vision is for? So you can see perfectly in the dark, that's what!" 

It was at exactly this point that Roll shouted, "Now, Dantz! Do it now!" Dantz threw the master switch reflexively, and the lights in the engine room immediately brightened up. Whether or not Barrel and Roll had been able to see him before, they definitely could now. Dantz hastily wrapped his towel around his waist and fled the room, running desparately back to his quarters for a decent pair of pants. 

"Roll," Barrel scolded as Dantz sped by him, "you should know better. Taking advantage of Dantz like that." 

"It was too good an opportunity to resist," Roll said, unable to stop smiling. 

By the time Dantz had gotten dressed, Roll and Barrel were back in the lab, once again trying to reactivate the toy Dantz had discovered in the underwater ruins. "Um, hey, guys," he said hesistantly, nervously scratching his head. "How's it coming?" 

"Those clothes look good on you," Roll said slyly while she tinkered with the artifact. "It obviously isn't out of power. I think something may be wrong with the servo slave circuit. It looks like it had been flooded. We dried it out, and I think we're ready to try starting this boy up again." Roll nodded to her grandfather, who closed the toy's panel. Then, Roll tried pushing what she thought was the startup switch. 

The toy twitched, jerked, and then let out a loud, shrill scream for a period of no less than thirty seconds. Then, it shut down completely once again. 

"I guess we'll have to try again," Roll said quietly, raising her eyebrows at Dantz. 

Meanwhile, in another corner of the world, MegaMan awoke screaming.   
  
**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Whoa! What the heck is going on? Is Dantz possibly as stupid as it seems? Well, we won't find out for a while, but he could actually be. Or maybe not. Anyway, after writing the chapter out and visiting a few websites, I was really jonesing for a MML fix. (Kids, if you're under 13 don't read the next few sentences) Those bastards at Capcom of Japan need to make us a new Legends game, goddammit! They put out like 6 Battle Network games and three X games in the past two years, so let's try something different. And if you want to use any of my story ideas, for the love of God, do it! I hereby give you my permission (because I KNOW all those Japanese businessmen read constantly for story ideas) Anyway, I've said my piece. (Kids, go ahead and start reading again.) By the way, if you're one of my readers who've never actually played those games, go ahead and get ahold of them cheap! They're a blast. **

And, in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!  
NEXT TIME: Under Teisel's Wing

* * *


	13. Under Teisel's Wing

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 13:  
Under Teisel's Wing 

* * *

_"Don't worry, Data," said the green-haired man, smiling down at MegaMan. "You're going to do just fine. Do me a favor, though---eeeeeeeeeyyyyyaaahhhh!"_

MegaMan gasped as he sat up in bed, sweat running down his cheek. What had that been all about? He remembered the green haired man in his dream, but who was he? Why did he seem to be remembering it from Data's point of view? MegaMan shook his head and drank deeply from the glass of water at his bedside. What was that primal scream, anyway? Had he, MegaMan, actually voiced it or was it only a part of the dream? 

MegaMan rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. It was still a couple of hours until morning, and he needed his rest. He flipped over to the other side. No, that wasn't going to work, either. MegaMan shifted again, lying on his back. Why hadn't he fallen asleep yet? 

Ninety minutes later, he gave up. Obviously no sleep was forthcoming. MegaMan jumped out of bed, quickly smoothed his sheets and blanket, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a light shirt. Teisel had made good on his promise and gotten MegaMan an entirely new wardrobe, although Tron had been the one to actually take him shopping. She'd made a big fuss about his selections, picking out the most expensive, designer-brand T-shirts and slacks for him. Evidently she was trying to give him a "look." although MegaMan would have been satisfied with the cheapest, least-decorative clothing, provided it was new and clean. Also, Tron wouldn't let MegaMan wear anything that was blue. When he'd asked her why, she'd simply said, "Blue just isn't your color, MegaMan, trust me." Then she'd piled six more shirts into his arms. "Go try these on. Get going! Don't make me call in Glyde for a fashion consultation!" 

Of course, Tron had screen-printed the Bonne family insignia on all of his plain shirts, such as what he wore now, perhaps to stake some sort of claim on him. The lift grinded to a halt, and MegaMan walked down to the Gesellschaft's fitness room. Two of the forty Servbots were utilizing the room's resources. Most of the others were likely in the cafeteria, MegaMan remembered with a smile, since Servbots only needed an hour of sleep every two days. The rest were pulling duty shifts on the bridge. 

MegaMan hopped onto a machine Tron had told him was a "cross-trainer." Okay, how did this work. He set the program for "manual" and began pumping his arms and legs. There was a timer to set, but he wasn't really on any set schedule, so he left it as it was. 

He couldn't shake the odd dream from his mind. Was something happening to Data, even now? That was impossible, MegaMan reminded himself. Data was dead, drowned nearly a year ago at the bottom of the ocean. It must have been something that had happened in the past. Data had been found with him, originally. Maybe Data had known MegaMan's parents? Could that green-haired man have been his father? 

If that had been his father, what about his mother? MegaMan searched back, tried to access those hidden memories from his youngest years. The only female figures he could come up with both had green hair, like the man, but neither one appeared old enough to have a child. One appeared the same age he was now, and the other only slightly older. Maybe they had been his sisters? None of it made any sense. If he had two sisters, why had they let him go? Something in his memory told him that the girls in his mind and he were, not, in fact, of the same blood. But there was something about the green-haired man. Something...familiar.... 

"Um, Mister MegaMan, sir?" 

MegaMan blinked his eyes and looked down at the Servbot standing inquisitively next to the cross-trainer. "What?" he asked, continuing his exercise. 

"Well, do you know how long you've been on that machine?" 

"No," MegaMan said. "I didn't set the timer, Number...Twelve." He was starting to be able to tell the Servbots apart now, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. 

Number Twelve began shuffling his feet and looking at them intently. "Ummm, well, you started working out at five-thirty, and now it's---" the Servbot checked his wristwatch. "---eight o'clock. It's almost time for breakfast." 

MegaMan stopped completely and dismounted the machine. "I've been exercising two and a half hours?" Twelve nodded. "That's odd, I don't really feel tired. I must not have set the difficulty high enough. Are you going to breakfast?" Twelve nodded again. "Okay, let's go together." The two headed to the lift, which was already in use by several Servbots. MegaMan and Twelve squeezed into the crowded cubicle, and after someone pressed the button, the elevator moved upwards. 

MegaMan and the others tumbled out of the lift as it opened. After he had managed to free himself from the pile, he headed to the cafeteria. MegaMan was a little groggy as he entered, the lack of sleep finally catching up to him. Tron was getting a small bowl of Puffy Wheats and a slice of melon from the chow line. "Morning," MegaMan said to her, his eyes a little blurry. He yawned as he reached around her to pile scrambled eggs on his plate. 

"What?!! I am so boring to you that you have to yawn every time you see me!?" Oh, no. He was in trouble now. 

"Sorry, Tron, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. I had this funny dream---" 

"Oh, now your _dreams_ are more interesting than me?" Tron's eyes were ablaze now. "Who do you think you are, MegaMan?! I swear, I've never---" 

"Enjoy your breakfast, Tron," MegaMan said quickly, ducking around her and scooping up some bacon and pineapple before sliding into a seat quickly at Table Two. MegaMan sighed and started shoveling bacon and eggs into his mouth. He was so intent on his eating he barely noticed Teisel pop into the seat across from him. 

"Good morning, my loyal and wonderful family!" he said cheerfully to MegaMan and the Servbots. Teisel took a sip of his coffee, then his face fell noticeably. "The coffee's not very good today," he mumbled. "I told Number Twenty-One he was using too many scoops..." 

MegaMan shrugged. "Maybe it's the brand of coffee you use. When I used to be ship's cook, I tried out three or four different kinds before I found one everyone liked. If you want, I'll have a talk with Twenty-One about it." 

"Sounds brilliant!" Teisel said enthusiastically. His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, looking sharply at MegaMan. "If you don't mind my saying so, you appear to be a young man with a lot of weight on his mind. What's got you so down?" 

"A lot of things," MegaMan said truthfully. "Where should I start? This morning, I think I had a dream about my father. The thing was, I never knew my father, so it might not have been him at all. I might have just made it up because I wanted to know my father, or something. What do you think?" 

Teisel scratched his chin. "I see. A father, eh?..." MegaMan could tell an idea was germinating in the oldest Bonne brother's mind. "I think I've got it!" Teisel exclaimed. "MegaMan, I want you to report to my quarters at seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning! I hope you don't mind getting up early." 

"No," said MegaMan, "I don't think that'll be a problem." 

Teisel looked at him approvingly. "Great. In the meantime, try to work on that coffee situation, will you? I don't think my stomach can take much more." 

MegaMan got up promptly at six the next morning, without any spectacularly odd dreams. Grunting, he rolled out of bed and got dressed, then took the lift up to the residence level. He knocked gingerly on Teisel's door, hoping that his morning appointment had not been forgotten. 

Evidently not. "Ah, MegaMan," Teisel said warmly, answering the door clad in only a pair of red, loose-fitting trousers. "I'm glad you made it. Come in." He led MegaMan into his cabin. The last time the boy had been in here, it had been accidentally on his first day aboard. MegaMan found his attention once again drawn to the large painting on the wall opposite the door. A regally-dressed couple stood solidly together, with a young, brown-haired lad standing between them. 

"Yes," said Teisel, "those are our beloved parents. I was eight years old when this picture was painted---it was only a year or two before Tron was born." He stared thoughtfully at the painting. "I wish she and Bon could have gotten to know them better, although Father and I...well, we disagreed about many things." Teisel was silent for a moment, apparently lost in reflection. "Yes, many, many things. I wonder how he'd feel about the way we live now." MegaMan couldn't see much of Teisel in his father, but his mother's resemblance to Tron was almost uncanny. 

"Anyway," Teisel continued, changing conversational tracks, "hearing you talk about your father yesterday reminded me of my own. I know you've never really had a stable male role model in your life, MegaMan. This is a little awkward for me to say, but I hope that---what I mean is, I just want you to know that...if you...have any questions, I'll be here for you." 

"Oh," said MegaMan stupidly. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting this morning, but this probably wasn't it. "Thank you." 

Teisel clapped his hands together roughly. "Enough fooling around! Time to get to business! Follow me!" He led MegaMan into his own private bathroom, which, truth be told, was almost as large as the Servbot bathroom downstairs, although MegaMan guessed that there was much, much less gambling that went on in this one. There was only once faucet, however, and the mirror was both decorative and functional. A couple of scarlet towels hung from the small rack, with a larger bath towel hanging near the separate shower stall and---wonder of wonders, Teisel even had a small hot tub in his room! Teisel brought out a mug, a brush, and two plastic objects. "Okay, today's first lesson is: shaving!" 

MegaMan blinked. This morning was defying his expectations more with every passing second. "Shaving?" he repeated. 

"Shaving," Teisel said a third time. He turned on the water tap, letting it run until it steam rose from the sink. "First, we have to wet the brush---I also like to put just a little water in the mug, too. It makes a nicer lather." Teisel began slapping the brush around on the small cake of soap the mug contained. "Now, you've got to whip the brush with firm, brisk strokes, and after a couple of minutes..." Teisel continued for the prescribed couple of minutes, then showed the results to MegaMan. "Voila! We have our lather!" 

"Uh, Teisel," said MegaMan, "I haven't really gotten to the point where I _need_ to shave yet..." 

"That's alright," Teisel said, brushing his own face up with soap bubbles. "It's never to early to learn these kinds of manly rituals." He finished up, apparently satisfied with his foamy "beard." "Now, you give it a try." 

MegaMan took the shaving brush from Teisel and whipped up the lather a few more times. Then, he tentatively coated his face with it, accidentally getting some up his nose and nearly sneezing. When he had successfully lathered up his face, Teisel smiled in approval. 

"Next," said the senior pirate, "we take the safety razor---" he handed one of the red razors to MegaMan, "---and begin drawing it across the beard area." Teisel began showing him the proper shaving technique, then he halted and turned the faucet back on. "Some men like to fill the sink up and use that to rinse the blade," he said, "but I like to keep the water running. It's an old habit, I suppose, but I'm not going to change it now." 

"Right," said MegaMan as he tried to emulate Teisel's motions with the razor. Both men stopped occasionally to run their blades under the running water, rinsing off the soap, and in Teisel's case, hair, that had accumulated. MegaMan and Teisel shaved in silence for a while, until MegaMan decided he did, in fact, have a question for the older man. "Why does Tron get mad at me so often? It seems like just saying hello makes her angry sometimes." 

"Ah," Teisel said. "You see, despite the fact that she's quite a lovely girl and a successful sky pirate, Tron has led a pretty hard life. She lost our parents at a tender young age, and we've been kind of living on the run ever since. We'd just finished the Gesellschaft when you met her, you know. We hadn't really had a home of our own for a long time before that." 

"I guess that makes sense," said MegaMan, drawing the blade across where he thought his mustache might well be in later years, "but---" 

"And, remember," Teisel continued, "she's been living on a ship full of men for all this time. Tron doesn't really have a mother figure for herself anymore. That means she's not sure exactly what a girl is supposed to act like. That's why sometimes it seems like she bouncing between demure courtesy, bombastic enthusiasm, and loud, horrible, anger. You got to know how to handle her when she's in one of those moods." 

MegaMan shivered. "Tron's anger certainly is horrible, all right. I usually just try to get away whenever she starts yelling at me." 

Teisel began laughing uncontrollably. Apparently it was all or nothing when it came to his amusement---MegaMan had never heard him chuckle, or even laugh at a normal volume level. "That's only a temporary solution, my boy, and that just means you're transferring her anger onto someone else. I usually try to toss her a random compliment or two when she gets in those volatile moods. That'll catch her off her guard, and she'll forget what she's angry about. Pay attention, now!" Teisel angled his face toward MegaMan, who could see the older pirate's left cheek was puffing out a little. "Sometimeth it'f hard to thshave th' thides of your mouf, tho I like to puff them out a little wif my ptongue." He demonstrated again, shaving over the indicated area with the razor, then did likewise with the other side. "Now, you try it." 

MegaMan tried puffing out the sides of the mouth with his tongue. He found it wasn't as hard as he first thought it might be. Still, it wasn't as though he really needed to do it yet. He brought his blade gingerly down and realized, as he looked at his bare face, that he was finished. "We're done," he said needlessly. The two rinsed off their faces, then dried them with the two small towels MegaMan had seen on the rack earlier. MegaMan's face itched and felt as though he may have ripped off an entire layer of skin. 

"Well, that's that," said Teisel proudly, re-hanging his towel. "Why don't you head down to breakfast, and I'll join you shortly, okay?" 

"Fine," said MegaMan, heading towards the exit. "By the way, I figured out what the problem with the coffee was: Number Twenty-Nine was putting vinegar in it." 

"What?" Teisel said, a disgusted expression on his face. 

"Yup," MegaMan confirmed, "vinegar. I asked him why he was doing it, and he said Number Two told him you really liked your coffee with 'bite.' So, I told him to stop, and asked him to put one scoop less in the pot, and add a dash of nutmeg. I think you'll like it." 

"That Number Two," Teisel said woefully, "I'm afraid Tron's going to have to schedule a session for him in the Torture Room." 

"The _what_?" MegaMan asked too late, as Teisel shut the door in his face. Oh, well, that was something to worry about later. With his right hand, he stroked his raw face as he stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the call button. 

The doors opened quicker than MegaMan had expected, and a young girl in a lab coat and glasses emerged. She had long unruly brunette hair that almost reached to her waist, and black stains covered her face and clothing. She started a bit as she saw MegaMan, then tried to slip by him quietly. 

"Wait a minute," he said. "Tron, is that you? Wow! You look really different." 

"It's not my fault, okay!?!" Tron's eyes burned through the lenses of her spectacles. "I haven't had time yet to do my hair, or put in my contacts, or any---" 

"What were you doing?" 

"For your information, I was in the weapons lab working on our new secret weapon, the MegaBonne Bomb, which'll have over ten times the explosive capability of---" 

"Hold on," said MegaMan. "Did you say _Mega_Bonne Bombs? As in my own na---" 

"Yes!" Tron hollered. "I mean, no! Stop trying to bait me! I'm working myself sick over this, I don't need any of your---" 

"You know, Tron," MegaMan said as he punched the button for Level Three, "not only are you a very pretty girl, but you're also one of the greatest sky pirates currently in the air." 

Tron said nothing, her mouth agape, a huge blush creeping over her face as the lift doors began to close. 

"See you at breakfast," MegaMan said cheerily as the closed fully and the lift began to move. It looked like Teisel may have known what he was talking about after all. 

**AUTHOR's NOTES: This is now my longest story on ! Woo-hoo! I almost thought about making this into two chapters but then the title of the first one wouldn't make sense, so I didn't. That's why it's a little longer than usual. Keep reviewing so I can feel better about myself! I know sometimes its a pain in the arse to type a review, but please do so, as it's only polite. Three updates in four days! Who's your daddy?!   
**NEXT TIME: MegaMan Spots Trouble!

* * *


	14. MegaMan Spots Trouble

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 14:  
MegaMan Spots Trouble 

* * *

Teisel strode in confidently to the Meeting Room, holding Tron's favorite pointing stick in his left hand. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here this morning." Tron, Bon, many of the Servbots, and MegaMan were seated at the table, hot mugs of coffee in hand. 

"Oooh, I know!" piped up Servbot Number Eight, waving his arm. "It's because of the new Ruins on---mmmph!" 

"Bab--u!" Bon shushed, clamping his massive hand over Number Eight's mouth, or more accurately, over Number Eight's entire head. 

"Yes, Number Eight," Teisel sighed, "It _is_ about the new Ruins on Garrdan Island." Teisel paced back and forth in front of the display board. "As many of you have heard, a new Ruin was recently unearthed on Garrdan, just miles south of its capital city. From all reports we've heard, it's one of the biggest ruins ever discovered!" Teisel grinned maliciously. "Just think of the all the good stuff we'll find inside!" Teisel began to cackle incessantly, but cut himself off when he caught the others staring blankly at him. "Ahem. Sorry about that, everyone. Anyway, we'll be over the island within six hours. Tron!" 

The young pirate straightened up in her seat. "Yes, Teisel?" 

"I want you to prep the Gustaff as soon as possible. We don't know what types of Reaverbots will be inside, so I'd use the Search Cannon." 

"Sounds good," said Tron. 

"Bon and I will be going with you as well. With all three of us, there's _no way_ any of those other scraggly Diggers will beat us to the treasure!" This time, Teisel didn't hold back on the maniacal laughter. "Get ready, boys! We're gonna clean out that island! Or my name isn't 'Bonne!'" 

"Ro---gerrr!" the Servbots sang in unison. Tron and Bon also got in on the cheers, each pumping their fists up in the air. 

"Um, so, Teisel," said MegaMan from his still-seated position, "what do you want me to do?" 

"You've got the most important job of all," Teisel growled enthusiastically. "You're going to be our Spotter!" 

All right, so MegaMan hadn't ever Spotted before. That wouldn't be a problem, would it? And just because he REALLY wanted to go on his first Dig, he realized maybe the others still didn't think he was ready, right? To hell with that, he thought, punching the Storage Room wall lightly. He wanted to go on this Dig, and wanted it badly. 

Two of the Servbots were loading Teisel's newest weapon into one of the Draches. Tron had just made it for him, apparently from several of the older weapons that had been lying around the laboratory. It was sort of a mechanical frame, which allowed Teisel's face a clear view while protecting both it and his upper body. Unlike the Gustaff, it did not have a cockpit _per se_, but it moved with Teisel instead of being controlled by a console. If Tron was to be believed, this new exosuit was state-of-the-art, the ultimate Digging tool. 

"She never made any special robots like that for _me_," MegaMan muttered to himself. 

"What was that, Mister MegaMan, sir?" asked Servbot Number Thirty, pausing in his loading duty. 

"Nothing," grumbled MegaMan, leaning disconsolately against the metallic wall. He crossed his arms and assumed the most unfriendly expression he possibly could. 

As the Draches took off, MegaMan tromped up to Fitness Room, ordering Number Thirty-Eight to start Training Program Number One. He took out his frustrations on the cardboard targets in the crudely simulated background. Maybe if he got a high enough score on his training report, he'd be able to go on a mission. In fact, he was really on a roll today. He was catching the Bonne Bombs thrown at him and smoothly throwing them back in one motion. Finally, MegaMan tossed one bomb in the air directly in front of him and vaulted up, kicking the bomb with his right foot as he flipped counter-clockwise. The explosive zoomed forward, smashing through three targets, then ricocheting off the back wall, crushing through another two before it blew up. 

"Good job!" said Number Thirty-Eight, brandishing his clipboard. "72! I think you broke the record!" 

"Great," MegaMan said grumpily. "I'll be on the bridge." He stomped up to the Gesellschaft's control center, still frustrated at his lack of inclusion. "All right," he demanded of Number One, who had been put in charge of the bridge crew during this operation, "where's the console for Spotting?" He sat down where the first Servbot indicated and turned on the display. A flashing message reading, "Scanning," was the only thing seen for a moment, then the screen blinked twice and a sort of map appeared. MegaMan himself blinked as well, unsure of what exactly he was to do next. 

"A--hem," a Servbot coughed delicately to his right, holding out a headset complete with mouthpiece. 

"Thanks," MegaMan said, putting on the headset after fitting it correctly. He coughed a bit into the microphone, testing its volume. 

"_Can you hear me, MegaMan?_" Tron's voice rang through the voicelink. "_We're ready to go into the ruins._" 

"Okay, Tron," MegaMan replied. "What am I supposed to do?" 

"_Just tell us what you see on the screen, MegaMan,_" Teisel broke in. "_We'll be able to handle things down here._" 

"I'll do what I can," the boy replied as new objects appeared on-screen. "Okay, here's what I see: three green arrows are going into the ruins." 

"_Yes, those represent us_," Tron said. "_They point in the direction we're facing. Don't worry, you're doing just fine!_" 

"_Babu!_" Bon encouraged him. 

MegaMan wiped some sweat out of his eyes. He was really getting too worked up over this, considering he wasn't even physically involved! "There's four...no, five red dots coming toward you from the...north, I think. What're those?" 

"_Reaverbots!_" Teisel shouted, inadvertently answering his Spotter. MegaMan heard nothing over the link for the next few moments save for assorted crashes, explosions, and gunshots. His fingers tightened on the edges of the Spotting console as the battle continued. 

"Everyone all right?" he asked hopefully. 

"_Yes, we're fine_," Teisel said curtly. "_Tron, something's wrong with this...thing you built me. The cannons only fired half the time I was pulling the trigger._" 

"_It's not my fault!_" Tron protested despite the clearly indisputable facts that said otherwise. "_You must be doing something wrong!_" 

"_I'm sorry, Tron. I'm not trying to attack you personally, but the left leg is...sticking a bit. I'm havng trouble walking_." 

MegaMan heard some metallic banging in his headset. "_There!_" huffed Tron. "_Is that better_?" 

"_A little_," said Teisel. By this time, the three had passed through another chamber. MegaMan saw a few more red dots appear, and called out a warning to Teisel. "_Oh, great. More Reaverbots._" The sounds of battle started again, and MegaMan was again unsure of what was happening. 

"_Okay_," Tron said moments later. "_That's the last one_." 

"Guys," MegaMan said, checking his display, "There's something odd ahead---" 

"_That's it!_" exclaimed Teisel. "_Tron, I'm sorry, but this isn't working out. I can barely move! I'm taking this suit of yours back to the ship. You two can hang around if you want, but we've made a few zenny, and I think we should call it a day._" 

"_You can run away if you want to, big brother_," Tron said derisively, "_but I'm going to finish exploring this level, at least, before I turn tail. MegaMan's still with me, aren't you, MegaMan?_" 

MegaMan laughed sharply. "What am I gonna do, turn off the equipment and let you walk blind down there?" 

"_I knew I could count on you. Coming, Bon?_" 

"_Babuu_!" 

"You guys be careful down there," MegaMan advised. "The next room has a large...gap in the center. I think." 

"_Yep, that's a huge, likely bottomless chasm,_" Tron said. "_I guess we should try to jump it._" 

"There's a blue dot on the other side. I don't know what that is." 

"_Looks like it's a treasure box_!" Tron radioed back. "_Ooo! There must be almost twenty thousand zenny in here!_" 

"_Babu!_" Bon said with excitement. 

Meanwhile, Teisel spoke up over the link. "_I've made it on board the Drache, Tron. Tell you what, once I get back to the ship, I'll find something in the armory and come back down. Nothing like a good, old-fashioned, hands-on Dig, and you know how I hate to leave a job like this unfinished..._" 

"_That's my brother!_" Tron said encouragingly. 

MegaMan saw as her green arrow and Bon's moved toward the next, larger chamber. This one seemed to be empty, but as the two Diggers pressed ahead... "Look out! There's a huge red dot...no, make that a huge red BLOCK that just popped up in front of you." 

"_Whoa! That thing's huge! I wonder how long it'll take to beat it!_" 

"Tron, I really don't think you should take that thing on. Come on back and wait until Teisel's suit is fixed. Maybe I'll come along, too." 

Tron, of course, was not to be persuaded to another course of action. "_Me and Bon are taking this thing down!_" The sounds of battle rang through MegaMan's ears, and once again, he was powerless to affect its outcome. 

"_Tron_," Teisel interjected from the flying Drache, "_I really think you ought to back off. If the Reaverbot's that big, then---_" His words were cut off by a loud squeal from Bon. "_What happened?!_" 

"_This...monster just threw Bon into the other room!_" Tron explained, though the distraction in her voice was evident. "_You're gonna pay for that, you pile of junk!_

More sounds of combat followed. "Just grab Bon and get out of there!" MegaMan called uselessly through the voicelink. "There's no need to---" A deafening crash nearly knocked the headset off MegaMan's ears. Abruptly, nothing but static was coming back to him through the voicelink. "Tron! Tron?! Are you there? Teisel? Can anyone hear me?" MegaMan looked around at the crowd of Servbots who had gathered around his station. "I can't hear anything," he explained to them. Looking at the screen, he realized it was blank as well. 

One of the Servbots, he was too worked up to figure out which one, reached around the panel and flicked a switch. "I th-think we needed to reset the d-display, Mr. MegaMan, s-sir," he said, with a catch in his mechanical throat. The display flickered back to life, once again reading, "Scanning." 

"_...one there? Hello?!_" Teisel's voice popped up on the headset. "Tron?! Can you hear me? MegaMan! What's going on down there?!?" 

"I don't know yet," MegaMan came back. "Is anyone still there down in the ruins? Can anyone hear me? Hello? This is the Gesellschaft." 

He heard some white noise, then a couple of squeaks, as though a microphone was being adjusted. "_Gesellschaft? This is Number Fourteen. M-miss Tron, all the others, they're..._" 

"_What happened?_" demanded Teisel. 

MegaMan's eyes widened as his display re-initialized. The map appeared the same as before, but there were none of the indicator marks that had been on it previously. No Tron, no Bon, and no giant Reaverbot, either. 

"_They're all...g-gone,_" finished Number Fourteen. "_I'm the only one left..._"   
  
NEXT TIME: What Happened to Tron?

* * *


	15. What Happened to Tron?

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 15:  
What Happened to Tron? 

* * *

falling down a cliff was hard work. Well not really hard work but it was hard. bon hated it when he fell down cliffs cause sometimes it hurt a lot. and this time his left arm fell off too. it wasn't fun to put back on his left arm or his right arm either but the left one was the one that was off now. it was a long drop in fact he didn't know how long he fell but it was a long way. 

that mean robot guy sure was big and he hit bon hard then threw bon off the cliff which hurt even more when he banged on the ground. bon looked up and couldn't see the ceiling and was he still in the ruins he must be because the cliff couldn't be going anywhere else. 

his left arm hurt because it wasn't there and he missed his teisel and he missed his tron and where were they both? he missed his teisel and his tron and his little friends and even the blueboy, who no one else called blueboy because he wasn't blue but everybody called him mega Man. bon knew that wasn't right because he was blue, even though he wasn't blue and never wears blue clothes but he's blue for some reason bon wasn't sure why. sometimes when bon thought about the blue boy he wondered why he didn't fight them because he was supposed to be fighting them wasn't he? but the blueboy was nice to bon and not shooting him or his tron or his teisel (but he used to do that and stop them when they did stuff, didn't he? no he didn't, so why did bon think that was wrong?). 

ooooh bon said as he got up and where was his left arm oh there it was. bon's arm wasn't really broken so he put it back on and it didn't hurt anymore and moved it like it always did so he was happy. now bon had to do the hard part and he had to climb up and up and up some more. it wasn't too bad because bon's hands had lots of bumpy things to hold on to as he went up and he was able to lift himself really easy. 

bon hoped his tron was okay because she was fighting the thing all by herself. the thing was really really big and had lots of guns on it. Bon didn't like guns because they hurt when they pinged off of him and sometimes they hurt even more if they were all flashy and big. it tried to shoot bon a couple times before it threw him away but bon knew better than to let bullets hit him so they didn't. 

bon called up but nobody was there or at least nobody could hear bon so he kept climbing. bon was wondering whether all the money he and his tron found was still up there. money was good because it made the people bon loved happy. bon wanted to find all the money he could because it was important. 

Now bon almost slipped his foot but he didn't fall. it was hard to hold on a little. bon couldn't find a hand hold with his left hand so he tried his right and almost fell down again but he managed to catch himself again before his feet let go. 

bon grumbled as he climbed up some more because it looked like he was needing to climb a whole lot more. he hoped the monster up top didn't hurt his tron. People who hurt people who bon loves were going to get smashed.

* * *

MegaMan dodged the remnants of an FR-57 automatic assault rifle as it came flying directly toward his head. It was a close call since it was so hard to move in his new armor. It wasn't totally accurate to call it "his" armor, as the dark olive suit was merely an old one of Teisel's which the Servbots had sized down to fit him. Still, he took some pride in it, as it meant he was finally going to be part of a Dig. Or rather, part of a rescue operation. He was still worried about Tron, of course, and Bon, but the concern was overlaced with excitement. 

"There's _nothing_ in here!" Teisel shouted, rooting through the piles of junk on the westward wall of the weapons laboratory. "This looks like nothing but trash!" 

MegaMan ducked under another old, rusty gun Teisel recklessly threw, then tried not to laugh as Servbot Number Thirty-Two said, "Um, Master Teisel, sir, that _is_ a pile of trash..." 

"Well, then where are all the weapons?!" Teisel demanded bombastically. "How am I going to save Tron without any weapons?!!!" 

Number Thirty-One scratched his head. "I think Miss Tron used most of them to make your new armor..." 

"...for all the good that did," Teisel finished. "I may as well just dump that thing over the side." 

MegaMan peeked into the cabinets. "We have quite a few bombs left," he said, "and I think there may be---no, I thought that was a laser, but it's just a can opener." He picked up one of Tron's patented Bottomless Bags**(TM)** and began stuffing it with as many Bonne Bombs as he could. 

Teisel stomped on the ground four times. "I am not going in there battling Reaverbots with nothing but a can opener!" He spun around rapidly, accidentally clocking Number Thirty-Two with his right hand. "There must be something else in here." He knelt again again began sifting through a different pile of trash. "Are you all telling me there's not so much as a simple _Arm Cannon_ in this entire lab!? What's the deal with all this junk?" 

"That's the trash pile, sir," Number Thirty-Two repeated. 

Number Thirty-One dashed to the counter. "I know! I know what we can use!" 

"What?!" Teisel yelled, flipping around quickly and unintentionally hitting Number Thirty-Two in the face with his elbow. 

"This," Number Thirty-One said, flourishing what looked like a red version of the regular Bonne Bomb over his head. "The MegaBonne Bomb!" 

"We only have one?!" Teisel said, exasperated. "What's the point?" He resumed sorting through the garbage heaps. 

"I'll take that," said MegaMan, slipping the large explosive in the top of his bag. "Is there anything else?" 

"No!" Teisel screamed. "Of course there isn't!! I might as well take this---" he brandished a detached Reaverbot arm, "---and try to bludgeon them all to death!" He carelessly flung the Reaverbot arm aside, where it knocked Number Thirty-Two to the floor. "I swear, this stuff REALLY looks like garbage..." 

"**_That's because it IS garbage, you moron!!!_**" Number Thirty-Two shrieked at the top of his fluttery voice, staring daggers at the haplessly shocked pirate. "**_I keep telling you, and telling you, and TELLING YOU!_**...oh, my. I remember where a weapon is!" These last words were spoken in Thirty-Two's normal, pleasant tone. Teisel, MegaMan, and the others all stared in shock as the Servbot explosives expert trotted cheerfully over to the corner of the room where the Gustaff usually sat. Teisel's mouth stood wide open as Number Thirty-Two effortlessly hefted a large, tubular object and quickly carried it to him. 

Teisel closed his mouth, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he studied it. "The Bonne Bazooka? It has a lot of firepower, doesn't it? But it's...I don't think I could lift it, it's so heavy." He took the weapon from Thirty-Two and was, in fact, able to hold it, just barely. His legs buckling, he set the bazooka on its end and took all the armor off his right arm, leaving it bare. Then Teisel flexed his fingers and shoved his arm into the bazooka's sleeve, which was quite large, as it was intended to fit the Gustaff. However, Tron had evidently planned ahead, for the sleeve auto-sized itself to fit Teisel's relatively diminutive limb. 

"Okay, so it fits," said MegaMan. "Can you lift it with one arm? And fire it?" 

"I don't know," admitted Teisel. "It's twice the length of my arm." He grunted as he tried to heft the massive launcher. "No. Do you want to try?" 

MegaMan thought. He could probably lift the bulky weapon, knowing what he knew of himself, but he really didn't want to reveal his superhuman abilities to the others for fear they might shun him. "Not likely," he said. "I'll stick with the bombs." 

"Ooo!" Number Thirty-Three called, waving from his desk, although he had been quiet up until this point. "I know what you can use!" He took an object that looked remarkably similar to a E-bottle and removed a sterile syringe from the desk drawer. He filled up the syringe with a pale pink fluid and ran it over to Teisel. "This is something Miss Tron and I were working on. It's a Strength Solution!" 

"A 'what'?" asked Teisel. 

"A Strength Solution!" Number Thirty-Three repeated. "It increases your strength by ten times!" 

Teisel blinked a few times. "Well, that'll probably work," he said softly, as if to himself. "I wonder if it's been tested, though..." 

"No, it hasn't," Thirty-Three said matter-of-factly, jabbing Teisel in the arm and injecting the Solution. 

"Owwwwwwie!" exclaimed Teisel, rubbing his bare arm vigorously after the Servbot withdrew the needle. "I hope you're going to disinfect that!" Thirty-One grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball and swabbed the wound with them. "Tron always kisses it after _she_ gives me a shot," Teisel pouted as they walked away. 

"I'll kiss it if you want," MegaMan offered half-heartedly. 

"Don't be weird," Teisel said. He experimentally lifted the Bonne Bazooka, this time successfully. "All right! This feels like it hardly weighs anything at all! I wonder if..." Teisel clenched his free left hand into a fist and punched the unoffending wall, leaving a huge, ugly dent. "Allllll right! Tron and Bon are as good as saved, now!" He pointed outward and upward, which, if one thought about it, was actually the incorrect direction, as the Draches were located below in the Hangar. "Let's MOVE OUT!!!" 

"Roger!" everyone agreed, heading out of the lab. 

"I sure hope there aren't any side effects," Teisel said offhandedly as he exited. "Oh, and have someone fix the wall." 

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Just so you know, all the Servbots are in character in this installment, per their descriptions in the game (Tron Bonne). I thought the idea of Teisel hauling the Bonne Bazooka around on his arm was freakin' awesome. Yes, the part told from Bon's point of view was intentionally wrote with poor grammar and punctation, because I wanted to convey the way his mind worked differently from the other characters. And just in case you were wondering, the proper response to "Who's your daddy?" is, "You're my daddy," unless you are talking about the Toby Keith song.  
**NEXT TIME: Beautiful Dreamer

* * *


	16. Beautiful Dreamer

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 16:  
Beautiful Dreamer

* * *

Tron grinned as she put the last crayon back into its box. Finally, her drawing was finished! She put it up against the side of her dresser, then scooted back on the fine, soft carpet to get a better view of it. The robot looked happy with its red, bulbous body flying sturdily through the air, the gun mounted on its arm pointing dramatically forward. Tron herself was in the drawing, too, riding on his shoulders with her legs wrapped around its neck. "Gustaff the Robot," it read, "by Tron Bonne, age 7." 

Tron couldn't wait to show it to her mother. Tron's mommy was the prettiest lady in the entire world, and she always told Tron how good her colorings were. She'd even given Tron a new erector set for her birthday the week before. 

Tron inhaled sharply. Maybe she should try to build Gustaff from her new erector set! Then he could really fly! There would be plently of cool places around Tron's big house to have adventures. She could take baby Bon on a few of them, too, but he wasn't really big enough to play with yet. At least, that was what Tron's daddy told her. 

Tron tore her eyes from Gustaff as she heard someone screaming outside. And then she heard some other noises. What was going on? Tron tried to get up, but something boomed really big, and then she fell down again. "Oof!" Tron cried. She rolled over, putting her hands on the floor to help herself up. She heard a few more weird sounds from outside. Did they sound like the guns she'd seen on TV? Maybe, but not like the one Mega Man used. These were a little louder and sounded mean. And why were the lights flickering on and off? It got really dark for a minute, but then the lights came back on. 

The door to Tron's room popped open, and a lot of smoke flooded in. Tron's eyes widened as she saw that her big brother Teisel was here to see her! Tron loved her brother very much, but for some reason, whenever he was around it made Tron's daddy very angry. Daddy always said it was because Teisel wasted too much time galvanizing with his friends. Wait, maybe "galvanizing" wasn't the right word, but it was a g-word, and it was big and long, too. 

Teisel coughed a few times as he slammed the door shut. He was wearing a dark brown trenchcoat, even though it wasn't cold or rainy outside. Even though his long, brown hair was already starting to go grey at the tips, everyone knew Teisel Bonne was one of the handsomest young men on Marabonne Island. At least, that's what Tron's maid had told her nanny when they thought Tron was sleeping. Tron ran over and gave her big brother a hug. although she was only tall enough to give his legs a hug. 

"I've got to get you out of here, Tron," Teisel said from above her, placing a protective hand on her back. 

"What's happening?" Tron asked, looking up at his face. 

"Ledan Mauvais is trying to take over the island," Teisel said as he took Tron's hand and led her away from the door. "He and some of his pirate allies are attacking the palace. We need to leave before they find us. My 'worthless' friends have already smuggled Bon to safety, so---" Something else exploded outside. Teisel almost tripped as the floor shook, but he caught himself on Tron's bedpost. "I think they're almost here, Tron. We'll have to go out the window." 

Tron pulled away from him. "Wait!" She ran to her dresser and picked up the picture of Gustaff. "Okay, we can go now." She followed Teisel to the covered balcony just outside her window, looking over the edge. "It's so high," she protested. 

"I know," Teisel said. He lifted Tron up, holding her front against him so she couldn't see. "Don't be scared," he whispered, his cheek warm against hers. She felt him step up on the short railing, then felt nothing for a few short seconds as he jumped off. Teisel's legs buckled as he hit the grassy ground, and his arms loosened as well, but he did not let Tron fall. 

Teisel straightened up and carried her from the palace. As they got farther away, Tron could see that her big house was burning. She bit her thumb and blinked twice. "What about Mommy and Daddy? Are they coming with us?" 

Teisel's cheek felt a little wet to her. He sniffed. "No, Tron." She heard him sniff again, then he said, softly, "I...tried to save them. I tried my best, Tron, but...sometimes your best isn't good enough." 

That meant her parents were... "No!" Tron yelled, struggling in Teisel's grasp. She wanted her mother and father! She wasn't going to leave them behind! "Daddy! Mommy!" 

"I don't want to leave them either," said Teisel as he snuck them through an opening in the shaped hedges. "I promise, Tron...I promise that I'll always...take care of you." His words ended in a small choking noise. "There's a boat waiting for us at the docks." 

Tron began crying as well, her tears mingling with her brother's where their faces met. "Mommy!" she wailed. Her eyes stung, and her chest felt empty inside. The emptiness hurt, and it seemed as though it would never heal. 

"_Mommy!..._" Tron screamed as she was carried away into the darkness.

* * *

"Teisel!" Tron yelled as she awoke. She rolled over in bed, smooshing her face into the plush pillow. That had been the last time she'd ever called for her mother. Tron sniffed, surprised to discover that she had, in fact, been crying in her sleep. She hadn't thought about that night in a long time. 

Wait a minute. "What am I doing in bed?" Tron demanded of no one in particular. She sat up abruptly, shaking the away the last vestiges of her drowsiness. "Where am I?!" 

She was in a sparsely decorated room. Her bed, the walls, and the large wardrobe cabinet were all painted an odd shade of powder blue. There was nothing else in the room, although Tron felt an ocean breeze blowing gently in from a small window. Tron threw the similarly-hued bedclothes off herself and leapt to her feet, discovering two things simultaneously. First, she realized that she had an awful, pounding, _incredibly_ painful headache. The second was that she was no longer wearing her clothes. 

She wasn't naked, not by any means. Tron seemed to be clothed in an odd kind of nightdress, one which happened to be the exact same color as the rest of the items in the room. The nightdress was strange because it looked like it was made to be worn as a regular dress. It was sleeveless, made of a light fabric that shimmered as she moved. The hem of the dress was probably several inches higher than Tron would have chosen, perhaps so high as to be scandalous. It was lucky Teisel wasn't here. He would probably have gone into conniptions had he seen Tron dressed so, though she wouldn't mind MegaMan seeing her in it. She would have like to see herself in the mirror, but there wasn't any in...hold on. 

Tron opened both sides of the wardrobe, pleasantly surprised to find a mirror on the inside of the left door. Her hair was a little mussed, but it was nothing she couldn't comb out, given enough time and hair gel. She struck a couple of cute poses for herself, and admitted the short sleeveless dress flattered her, although she really didn't think powder blue was her color. The belt had a silvery buckle that drew the eye, but just enough to complement the rest of the outfit. 

"Oh, no!" Tron said as she spotted the huge, glaring bruise that dominated the left side of her face, surrounding the upper corner of her left eye. She touched it gingerly, not surprised to discover that it was the source of most of the pain in her head. It figured, she thought grumpily, that she would have this ugly, ugly blemish to worry about right after she'd gotten a fairly attractive new dress... 

"Hey!" Tron shouted as a thought occurred to her. "Who dressed me?!" More importantly, who had _undressed_ her? 

The last thing she could remember, she was piloting the Gustaff in combat against one of the hugest Reaverbots yet encountered. Bon had fallen over a cliff... She hoped Bon was okay. Wait a minute, even with Bon gone, she had been winning. Or, it had certainly seemed that way. Then, nothing but darkness, the dream, and now this strange room which might have been a prison cell. Was it? As far as Tron knew, she hadn't been breaking any laws this time around. 

Tron looked out the small, triangular window. It offered a nice view of the ocean, and the breeze refreshed her as it caressed her face. It seemed she was in some sort of building on a high cliff, overlooking the sea. Was she still on Garrdan Island? Who was keeping her here? 

Tron stormed over to the wooden door and tried unsuccessfully to open it. "Hey!" she yelled, pounding on the door. "Let me out!" She pounded for a few more moments, without any result, then ordered, "Let me out of here right now! If you don't, my brothers are gonna pound you!" Still no respone. "I mean it! You're gonna be really sorry you messed with the Bonnes!!" 

Suddenly the door creaked open. A handsome young man strolled in, followed by two others. All three were wearing clothing made of the same fabric as Tron's dress, although the leader also sported a white jacket that went almost down to his knees. The two guards, for Tron had deduced them to be such by their uniforms and manner, closed the door and stood silently next to it. 

"So, you are a Bonne," said the leader. Tron guessed he was just a few years older than her own fifteen. He had slicked-back black hair, tanned skin, and ice blue eyes that were only a shade darker than the walls. "I knew you were the moment I laid eyes on you." 

"I'm Tron Bonne," she said irritably. "What's it to you?" 

"I had to meet you," he said earnestly. "That's why I sent Guelly to catch you in the ruins. I'm sorry you were hurt, but you were putting up too much of a fight. I hope no lasting harm was done." 

"Guelly? You mean the Reaverbot?!" This guy seemed polite enough, but what was his angle? Tron didn't trust anyone who locked her up, a guideline which had proven valuable throughout her career as a sky pirate. "What do you want!? Why did you go to all this trouble just to meet me? Who are you, anyway?!!" 

The strange young man gripped her hand firmly and brought it to his lips. "I am Prince Gary of Garrdan Island, firstborn son of King Garland. And the reason I brought you here was...I intend to make you, Tron Bonne, my bride." 

Tron laughed in his face. She snatched back her hand and crossed her arms. "Don't hold your breath, smartguy. I'll figure a way out of here sooner or later, and when I do---" 

"I didn't think you would agree right away," said Prince Gary. "I know of the legendary spirit of the Bonne women. I hope you'll change your mind during your stay, which I intend to make quite pleasant." He bowed to Tron and signaled to one of the guards, who opened the door. On his way out, the prince called, "Until we meet again, fair lady." The door closed softly, though the sound of a bolt being locked into place was more audible. 

Tron flopped herself back down on the bed and pouted for a couple of minutes. What a buffoon. He was fairly good-looking, though... Nonsense. She wasn't going to marry anyone who held her prisoner! "Grruuuuuhhh!!" Tron growled. This was boring. The only she thing had to do here was make the bed, but that was Servbots' work. Servbots! That's right, Numbers Two, Twelve, Fourteen, and Twenty-Seven had still been with her during the fight, but where were they now? She hoped her boys were okay...

* * *

"Can you remind me what happened?" asked Number Twelve, nearly tripping over his full bowl of noodles. "I think I forgot." 

Number Two sighed. "I think you should sit down," he said. "Eat your supper and we'll go over it again." Two supposed they were lucky they had gotten anything to eat at all. 

Twenty-Seven was organizing his noodles according to length. "I think we should go over it step by step, and maybe we can figure out what happened to Miss Tron." 

"O--kaayyy!" said Number Two, tapping his head a few times to jog his memory circuits. "First, Miss Tron and the rest of us were fighting that biiig Reaverbot..." 

"...and then it raised it arms, and we weren't able to see anything," added Number Twenty-Seven. 

"Oooo, I remember that!" said Number Twelve with excitement. "And then, the floor fell out from under us..." 

Number Two picked this up. "...and we fell a long, long way..." 

"...and we ended up in this boring blue room, where they locked the door and will feed us, but not let us out..." continued Twenty-Seven. 

"...and now we have to get out of here, find Miss Tron, and get back to the Gesellschaft!" finished Number Twelve, immensely proud of himself for remembering. 

Number Two tried not to let his concern show on his face. How were they going to get out of here, or find Miss Tron? Their radios were broken or jammed---they had tried them all already. "Good job!" he told Number Twelve. "I know we'll think of something!" After all, he was the oldest Servbot here. He had to keep the other's spirits up no matter how daunting he felt the situation was. 

"Roger!" answered the other two, bright, hopeful, cheery looks on their faces.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Looks like Number Two could use some Prozac! I hope no one seriously thought I was going to have Tron die from the earlier chapters! That would be unforgivable! By the way, Guelly's name is pronounced just like "jelly," only with a hard "g." Who is Prince Gary? And is his father really King Garland of Garrdan Island? And why do all their names start with "G?" Okay, that one's not too hard to guess, but...why does Prince Gary want to get hitched to Tron? You know when to find out!... **  
NEXT TIME: Aquamarine Engagement Ring   
  



	17. Aquamarine Engagement Ring

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 17:  
Aquamarine Engagement Ring

* * *

Tron didn't care what anyone said, she wasn't going to marry any stupid boy, prince or otherwise! She sat huffily on her plain bed, which was the same shade of blue as everything else in this awful, boring place. If Prince Gary thought she was going to just sit here and wait for him to come back, well he had another thing coming! Tron hopped up, her short powder blue skirt fluttering a bit as she did so. 

Prince Gary returned to visit his erstwhile bride-to-be twenty minutes later. "You didn't really think that would work, did you?" the handsome young man asked. "These windows were made intentionally to be too small for anyone to climb through---it would be too dangerous. What were you going to do if you got out? Climb down the cliffs to the ocean?" 

"Yeah, I might have!" Tron yelled back from her side of the window, although it sounded a bit muffled to Gary, as all he could see was Tron's rump. Her hips had been the only part of her too wide to crawl though the triangle-shaped window, and she had actually almost twisted herself through anyway. In fact, she suspected she was only minutes away from doing just that when the Prince of Garrdan Island had interrupted her. "So, are you going to get me out of here, or what?" 

"Very well." Prince Gary took a hold of Tron's ankles and, after a few sharp tugs, managed to jerk the girl pirate back into her azure prison. Both collapsed together onto the bed. 

"Don't get any ideas," Tron warned him. 

"Perish the thought," Gary assured her, disentangling himself from Tron's limbs. "I wouldn't think of doing anything improper before our marriage." 

"You're going to be waiting a long time, then," Tron said. "You realize once my brothers show up, you're going to get punched, stabbed, shot, and pretty much blown up, too? Just thought it was fair to warn you first." When Gary merely smiled, she continued, "Why do you want to marry me, anyway? I'm no prize, believe me." 

"You sell yourself short," Gary said. "Everyone knows that the Bonnes are of noble blood---displaced nobility, to be sure, but noble blood nonetheless. Once I heard of your daring exploits on our local television news program, I knew I had to make you my bride." 

"I was on TV?" Tron's eyes lit up. Then, they darkened. "I'm still not going to marry you." 

"I think I can change your mind," said the prince. "Would you care to go on a tour of Garrdan Castle? I'd like to show you around your future home." 

Tron shrugged. "Sure. Anything's better than staying in here." She followed the prince outside of her cell, but to her dismay, one of Garrdan's blue-garbed guards filed in to escort them. Still, she kept her eyes open for any possible escape routes. Since all the walls were the same pale shade of blue, though, it was hard for Tron to keep track of where they were going. Down, it seemed like. 

"Did any of my Servbots end up here?" she asked. 

"Your what?" 

"Servbots," Tron said again. "They look like little blue-and-yellow kids, and they certainly _act_ like kids sometimes, but they're all mine, all forty of them, so I guess I have to love them." 

"I see," Gary said as they entered a large room, still powder blue, of course, although parts of the room were constructed of metal. Several machines, including robotic suits of armor, guns, explosives, and a couple of Reaverbots were located inside. Tron was amazed to find the Reaverbot who had attacked her in the Garrdan Ruins here as well. "This is the Armament Room, as you might have guessed for yourself. The ceiling opens to the upper castle levels, and the floor contains a passageway to the Garrdan Ruins." 

"But I thought that those ruins were discovered only a few weeks ago." 

"That is somewhat true," said Prince Gary. "The outward exit of the ruins was 'discovered' only recently, but the royal family of Garrdan has known about them for several decades. They are quite extensive, and have been explored only superficially. You may notice Guelly, here, looks like a Reaverbot. He is. He was not functional when he was found, and I made it the object of my childhood years to get him up and running again. When he's set on automatic, he doesn't fight quite as well as he would with his original program, but he does okay for himself." Gary raised his eyebrows twice. "You've experienced his special attack, as well. I call it the 'Catatonic Blast.' It disrupts any electric patterns in living brains or robotic circuitry, causing instant unconsciousness. Sometimes it's only instantaneous, other times for longer periods, but either way, it's a very effective weapon." 

Tron started silently. So _that_ was why she lost her battle! She growled inwardly. She would have won, if that idiotic false Reaverbot hadn't used its stupid, dishonest...ooooh! That made her mad! Still, it wouldn't hurt to learn more. Maybe it had a weakness. "Does it work on all robots?" 

Gary was all too glad to elaborate. "No. If a robot's thought processes are advanced enough, of course, the Catatonic Blast won't shut them down. For instance, Guelly's own brain continues functioning throughout." 

"I see." Advanced thought processes, huh? That let out all forty Servbots out, didn't it? Maybe Bon could withstand a Catatonic Blast? Knowing what Tron knew about her brother, she guessed that was unlikely. Tron changed tactics. "Wait a minute. Why did you open the ruins up?" 

"I knew the family Bonne would not be able to resist such a tempting target once it became common knowledge. Besides, as you know, I do not have the resources to explore them fully by myself. I felt it was a good time to let their existence be known, and it certainly worked to my advantage, didn't it, my love?" 

Tron said nothing, but looked away from Prince Gary and pouted. 

The black-haired young prince nodded forward, and guided Tron back upstairs to a different part of his castle. "That's basically all there is on the lower levels, the prison cells, and the Armament Room. You're not really in a cell, of course, Tron. One of the servants gave up her bedroom so you would have somewhere to sleep." 

"How thoughtful of her," Tron said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Hey. I just thought of something. Why is everything in here blue? Is there some reason for that?" 

"Of course," Prince Gary said, delighted. "This entire island happens to be standing on top of the largest aquamarine deposit on the face of the planet. Parts of the castle used to be a mine, but the rock was so common, eventually we started making our homes out of it." 

"Really?" 

"Yes, but, as you can see, we don't cut or polish the substance of the walls or floor. Aquamarine is quite lovely when properly finished." 

Tron's eyes narrowed speculatively. "I don't suppose aquamarine is worth much money on the world market, is it?" 

Gary thought for a moment. "Not very valuable, no. It's a semi-precious stone, but nothing compared to refractors or gold. Also, the island chains around here are fairly saturated with it." 

"Uh-huh." So, if Tron could get her hands on some and take it back to the Gesellschaft, they could make some serious bank if they sold it halfway across the world! She'd have to look up the exchange rate when she got back to the ship... 

That was beside the point. First she had to get herself out of this wedding mess before thinking about money, as difficult as that was to accept. It looked like her beau wasn't going to take her upstairs or any other place where a quick getaway might be possible. Gary led her back downstairs to her room, with the guard trying to look official and wary behind her. Tron sighed as he opened her door for her. 

"I'm still not going to marry you, you know," she said. 

"I'll see you this evening for dinner," said Gary, holding out his hand to her. "Until then, I hope you'll think of me when you look at this." Gary pressed something metallic into Tron's hand and left, the door locking behind him. 

The object was still warm from being in the prince's pocket, and when she opened her fingers, she saw it was a gold engagment band, replete with an incredibly large aquamarine stone. Tron might have taken it as an insult to be presented with such a common stone had it not been so beautiful. Indeed, as the prince had told her, the aquamarine extraordinarily pretty when it was cut and polished like a normal jewel would be. Tron tried it on her left ring finger---a perfect fit. 

"I'm still not going to marry him," she said quietly.

* * *

  
NEXT TIME: Assault on the Garrdan Ruins   
  



	18. Assault on the Garrdan Ruins

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 18:  
Assault on the Garrdan Ruins 

* * *

_**TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!**_

"What are you doing _now_?" Number Two asked, rolling around on his bunk to relieve the boredom. Maybe he should be taking a nap, but that was hard to do with all the noise currently in the room, however. 

"I'm digging a tunnel," said Number Twelve with determination, using his spoon to pound rhythmically on the aquamarine floor of the prison cell. "So we can escape and rescue Miss Tron." Number Two opened an eye to check on his fellow Servbot's progress. Twelve had actually made some progress. A hole almost the size of a Servbot's head was already dug, although it would be hidden by the bunks if a guard happened to look into the cell. 

"That's not going to work," Number Twenty-Seven said. "I think it'll take about two months to dig enough to get out." He stepped up behind the kneeling Servbot, as if supervising the job. "Besides, don't you think the guards will notice all of the chipped pieces of aquamarine all over the floor?" 

"Oh, I've got a place to hide them..." Number Twelve said knowingly. 

Number Two kept silent for a moment, as he had nothing further to add to the discussion. "We need to get out of here," he said forcefully, "and we don't have time to dig ourselves out." 

"Ummmmm...." said Number Twelve, thinking it over. Then, he continued in his digging. 

Number Twenty-Seven sat up rapidly in his bunk. "I know, we could...ummm, no, I guess we don't have any 'Raisin Bran.' Never mind." 

Two rolled out of his bed and stared at the door. "I think we might be able to break down this door, don't you?" 

"We already tried that," Twenty-Seven reminded him. "I didn't work." 

"Yeeess," said Two, "but before, I don't think we noticed that someone left the hinges on _this_ side of the door." 

"Hee hee," said Number Twenty-Seven, unclamping his hands. He and Number Two began unfastening the hinges of the locked door while Number Twelve continued working on his tunnel. After being yelled at by Number Two, Twelve stopped work on his project and listened in. 

"Oooh-kaayy!" said Number Two. "We all need to run at the door at once, and if we do it just right, the loose side should open just enough to let us out." 

"Ummmm..." said Twenty-Seven. 

"Yes?" 

"I don't think we can all charge at the same time. One of us should go after the other two." 

"Hmmm," said Number Two. "Then you and I will go first, and Number Twelve should try to jump over us and hit the door on his own. Did you get that, Number Twelve?" 

"Uhhhh, yes?" said Twelve. 

Two and Twenty-Seven lined up in front of the wooden door. "Operation: Door Take-Down, begin!" commanded Two, and so it did. The front line tackled the cell door, which immediately collapsed outward without its hinges. Evidently Number Two had underestimated the door's holding power without its hinges. The two Servbots toppled forward, landing painfully on top of the door. And Number Twelve, naturally, had picked this time, of all times, to remember his orders to the letter. He took a running start at the open door and bounded upward, his momentum taking him through the open doorway. He sailed downward until he crashed into a heap on top of the other two. 

After all three had finishing complaining and managed to return to their feet, Number Two looked around and realized, "We're out! Yay!" 

"Yay!" said the other two Servbots. 

"Uuuuhhh..." came the voice of the guard from underneath the door. 

"Uh-ohh..." said Number Two, and ran off, leading the others out of the detention area.

* * *

The grass near the Garrdan Ruins' entrance fluttered in every direction as the Drache descended, hovering just over the ground, but never quite touching. A disheveled Teisel Bonne leapt grandly out of its back door, followed by four Servbots and by MegaMan, still clad in a loose-fitting old suit of armor that had once been Teisel's own. 

"Listen up, everybody," said Teisel, pointing directly at the ruins' entrance with his free left hand. "Tron and Bon are in there somewhere, and we're not coming out until we find them. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then let's GO!!!" Teisel, aided by a dose of Tron's Strength Solution, hefted the Bonne Bazooka over his head, leading the charge into the Ruins, roaring at the top of his lungs all the while. 

"Raaaaaaahhhh!!!" everyone yelled as they entered the Ruins, startling a couple of novice Diggers who were scavenging for small refractors in the first few rooms. 

The Bonnes ran through a couple of long, twisting hallways, and, following the directions of his Spotter, Teisel took the left fork of a three-way intersection. A large group of Reaverbots was waiting for them. "Aaaaaahhhhh!!" everyone hollered as they attacked the robotic guardians. Teisel let go with the Bonne Bazooka, which had an abysmally slow rate of fire. Luckily, most of the Reaverbots couldn't withstand more than one hit from the massive powerful weapon. MegaMan and the others tossed some Bonne Bombs at the remaining few foes, but the battle was over so quickly that it almost seemed as though they hadn't even paused in their charge. 

"Yaaaahhhh!!!" Teisel led his group through another couple of chambers, then the mad dash had to stop for another few moments as a few more Reaverbots had to be thrashed. After this next clash was through, everyone stopped for a moment, as there was no where to go, at least, no way forward that seemed obvious. 

"I see," said Teisel. "Sometimes, once the Reaverbots in a given area are downed, the way ahead just magically appears. I was really hoping that was the case here." 

"Oh," MegaMan said. He and the Servbots waited patiently. "I don't think it's going to happen." 

"Maybe there's a switch somewhere," Teisel said, pawing around the walls. 

A small voice coughed for attention from around MegaMan's knees. He looked down, and saw that Servbot Number Nineteen was looking at him expectantly, presenting a black, tube-shaped device. "Look what I found! Yay!" 

"What is it?" 

"I think it's an Arm Cannon," Number Nineteen explained. "You put your arm in it, like this..." The Servbot reached inside the smaller end of the tube, then immediately snatched it back. "There's something in here," he said, peeking into the Arm Cannon. 

"Hey, be careful with that," MegaMan warned, but Nineteen had already yelped and dropped the item like a hot potato, which caused a green blast of energy to sail across the quiet, dank chamber. It sailed right past Teisel's head as he knelt on the opposite end of the room, still searching for a switch to gain access to the next chamber. 

"Hey!" Teisel accused. "Stop fooling around over there!" 

MegaMan rolled his eyes and bent over to retrieve the weapon. "What's in here that's so scary?" 

Nineteen was shivering. "It w-was a...a..." 

"Wah!" MegaMan pulled out the item that had frightened Number Nineteen, a skeletal hand, no doubt belonging to the gun's last owner. He threw it away instantly, as it happened, right at Teisel's face once again. 

The pirate howled as the dessicated finger bones separated on impact with his chin. Once he had sufficiently calmed himself, he asked his Spotter, "Number One! Where's the exit to this room?!" 

"_That room is a dead end, Master Teisel. You were supposed to take the right fork at the last intersection..._" 

"You said to take the LEFT fork!" 

"_Whoops_," apologized Number One. "_Sorry..._" 

MegaMan blew out the dust from the Arm Cannon's inside and fitted it on his left hand. But how would he fire it? Oh, there the trigger was. He fired a test shot into the ceiling. "Let's head back then." 

Teisel once again led the party in a charge through the ruins. "Aaaaaahhhh!!!" they all roared as they ran down the long hallway. Suddenly, on some sort of extrasensory suspicion, Teisel halted his comrades. "Shhh!" 

MegaMan and Teisel peeked through the next doorway. They could see very little, but the conversation they overheard explained the situation to them. 

"That was certainly a tough Reaverbot," said a young man's voice. "I nearly worked up a sweat back there." 

"Keh-keh! But at least we got the treasure." 

"That's right, once we hook this up to the Garoona Klang, we'll be able to take over any island in the world---errruuuurrreerlllll!!" 

"It's Glyde!" hissed Teisel softly. "And he's got some sort of new weapon! Let's beat him up and take it." Teisel sped down the hall to intercept his smartly-dressed nemesis. the Servbots trailing him closely. 

"Wait," said MegaMan, but it was too late. "What about Tron?..." He shook his head and followed the others, making sure his Arm Cannon was charged enough to shoot. For all he knew, it might have been lying in the ruins for a hundred years, but it had worked just minutes ago. 

"Not so fast, Glyde," Teisel was saying just as MegaMan caught up with him. "I think we'll be taking that treasure of yours." MegaMan could see that two of Glyde's Birdbots were carrying a conical-shaped blue refractor while three others were launching themselves at the Servbots. 

"If it isn't Teisel Bonne," said Glyde from his newly-designed robotic armor. "Read any good books lately? I like your new 'macho' look, by the way." 

"What?" said Teisel, looking down at himself. "Oh, you're referring to this." Teisel's right arm was mostly bare except for the parts covered by the Bonne Bazooka. "Well, it really isn't a fashion statement, but---wait a minute! Why am I even talking to you?" Teisel raised his arm and fired a shell at Glyde's robot so fast that MegaMan had trouble following it. Then, aided by the Strength Solution, the eldest Bonne leaped on top of the rival pirate's shoulders and ripped off the head of the robotic suit. 

Glyde's own head was now visible, his eyes each wider than the moon. "Oh, my! How did you---" 

Teisel gave him no time finish his question. He bounded backwards and hurled his metallic projectile at the center of Glyde's frame with such force that Glyde was knocked back nearly ten yards, and in fact, was only stopped by the fact that the Ancients had been so studious in their construction habits. Nary a second after Glyde's armor hit the wall, it exploded. 

Glyde coughed as he emerged from the wreckage, his face and clothing covered in soot. "Twice in as many months. How embarrassing." He walked slowly around Teisel, as if to exit the ruins. He stopped as he passed by MegaMan. "Ooh. I forgot how cute this one was." 

"You've got something on your face," MegaMan said. 

"What?" Glyde asked just as a Bonne Bomb collided with his nose. "That was uncalled for," he said as he rose from the ground a second time, "but I'll have my revenge! Ha ha! The Refractor of Iscreme is mine!" MegaMan realized that Glyde was correct as he surveyed the room. All of the Birdbots had fled, including the two that had been carrying the cone-shaped refractor. Glyde cackled as he fled the battleground. "I'll be waiting for you outside, Teisel! When you exit these ruins, you'll all be in for the fight of your lives!!!" Glyde's maniacal, villainous laughter could be heard echoing through the ruins as he ran away. 

"He's going down!" Teisel said, attempting to follow Glyde out. 

"Hold it," MegaMan said, catching Teisel by the arm and stopping the pirate's forward motion. "Why are we here? Do you remember? You know, to rescue your brother and sister?" 

"Right," Teisel said simply. "Okay everyone, let's get going!" He and his posse started down the passage, the correct one this time, at least according to Number One. 

MegaMan hoped that their recent scuffle had not put Tron in any more danger than she was already in.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: What does Glyde have to do with anything that's going on right now?!? Or does he? Maybe he was just looting the same ruins as everyone else? But his name does start with "G," just like Prince Gary, doesn't it? All these and more you'll wonder about until... **  
NEXT TIME: Subterranean Sneakers   
  



	19. Subterranean Sneakers

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 19:  
Subterranean Sneakers 

* * *

MegaMan ran towards the large chasm. When he reached its lip, he jumped, vaulting easily over the gaping crevasse and landing safely on the far side. Teisel had jumped with no effort whatsoever, thanks to his sister Tron's Strength Solution, but not before hurling all four Servbots over the chasm. Fortunately, Servbots were resilient, and had taken no major damage during their ordeal. 

"Could Master Bon have fallen down this cliff?" asked Number Twenty-Five asked, peering over the edge. 

"Maybe," Teisel admitted. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called, "Bon! Can you hear me? Are you down there, Bon?!" Both the Servbot and his master listened carefully. When no response, not even a happy gurgle, was heard, Teisel shook his head. "Bon may be down there, still. I hope he isn't, because if he is, that means he's really, seriously hurt. Listen up!" 

All the Servbots stood to attention. "This won't be easy," Teisel began, "but I want you all to go down there and make sure that Bon isn't there. If he is, bring him back to the ship. Keep in radio contact with me and the Gesellschaft as needed. Understood?" 

"_Ro----gerrrr_!" the Servbots sang in unison, saluting. 

"I knew I could count on you!" Teisel said, walking over to MegaMan. "Let's get moving." 

"Don't you want any of them to go with us?" asked MegaMan as they headed for the next room. 

"Anyone got some rope?" asked Servbot Nineteen in the background. 

Teisel waved his hand. "I wouldn't mind them being along if we get into a big battle, but I think you and I will be okay. Also," he said, his face going grave, "if Bon's been seriously hurt, we can probably fix him, but if something really bad happened to Tron, if she's---I don't want to say it, but...they shouldn't...have to see. I don't think they could handle it." 

"Uhhh...I have some string," suggested Number Twenty-Five from the background. 

"I have a paper airplane!" said Number Forty enthusiastically. "We could fly it down!" 

MegaMan sniffed a little, trying not to think of the possibility Teisel had suggested. "She's going to be okay, right?" 

"That's not going to work," said Number Four, stamping his foot daintily. "We need some rope so we can rappel down and still get back up." 

"So we can _what_?" asked Forty. 

"That's what I've been praying for since yesterday," Teisel said softly. "You don't know Tron like I do. She's a survivor. But if she's hurt, it's my fault." They slipped through the automatic doorway into the next chamber, the one in which Tron and Bon had fought their battle. 

"How is it _your_ fault?" MegaMan said, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw the room was empty. He'd half-expected to find Tron's broken body lying on the floor motionless. "I was her Spotter, and let's be honest---I didn't know the first thing about Spotting. I should have warned her a lot earlier." 

"I'm the one who left her behind," Teisel said. "I should have stayed and fought with her, no matter how hard it was to move that clunky pile of junk---" He stopped short, looking fearfully around himself. "Whew," he sighed. "If Tron had heard that, she probably would have ripped my hair out by now." 

MegaMan allowed himself to chuckle a little bit as the mood lightened somewhat. "This is the room, isn't it? Where is she, if she's not here?" 

"Settle down," Teisel ordered him. "Number One? Did you steer us to another dead end?" 

"_No, Master Teisel. This is definitely the right room._" A little burst of static came over the radio as Number One accidentally banged his mike against the display screen. "_The readings look like there might be a hidden switch in there somewhere_." 

"All right," said Teisel, "let's get looking." He started shuffling his feet around the floor, searching for a panel that might be somewhat looser or raised when compared to the others. 

MegaMan took a different tactic, closing his eyes and trying to feel out where the trigger might be. Trigger...that word had a familiar ring, didn't it? __

"Purifier Trigger," Sera said in her emotionless voice, "I order you to withdraw. You do not have the proper authority to access Eden's main systems. Please leave the room at once." 

"I'm following the Master's orders, Sera," Trigger called over his shoulder, refusing to look at the Mother Unit of the Skies. "His **last** orders. He's not coming back from Terra." 

"You are ordered to withdraw," Sera repeated. "This is your last warning." 

Trigger turned around and looked Sera in the eyes, those crimson eyes that were the exact same shade as his own. "I can't," he said simply, sweeping the green hair out of his face. He turned around and continued his work, trying to ignore the Mother Unit. 

"If you do not comply, I will be forced to terminate your program." 

Closing his eyes, Trigger activated his Arm Cannon. He would wait for Sera to take the first shot. If she did, then he'd strike back, but not before. He tried not to flinch as Sera charged her own weapon, raised it, and fired... 

MegaMan cried out. 

"You did it!" Teisel congratulated him, slapping him the on the back, which, thanks to the Strength Solution, knocked him forward a couple of feet. A panel in the floor of the ruins slid forward, revealing nothing but blackness below. 

MegaMan's breath was coming hard now. "Teisel..." he sighed. "What happened?" That man in his dream _hadn't_ been his father. Was he, MegaMan, the green-haired man? That didn't make any sense. Had he been reincarnated or something? 

Teisel shrugged. "You walked straight forward and found the switch. The panel opened. Good job!" 

"Thanks," he said weakly, trying to shake off the strange vision he'd just experienced. "Did you bring a torch? I didn't think to." 

"No problem," said Teisel, bring a hand torch out of his pocket and flicking it on. "Let's keep moving." MegaMan nodded and followed his big brother down into the tunnel.

* * *

A small, soft knock came at Tron's door. Tron ignored it and continued staring out at the sea. The knock came again. Tron growled as she stomped over to the locked portal. She was going to rip Gary's head off if he knocked one more time! 

"Miss Tron," whispered a familiar, high-pitched voice, "are you in there? Miss Tron?" 

"Number Two!" Tron shouted in recognition. Then, she got a bit angry. "Where have you been!!?" 

"I'm sorry, Miss Tron," apologized Two, "but they locked us up downstairs and we couldn't get out until just a few minutes ago..." 

"That's alright," said Tron, "you've done better than I have. Hold on. Did you say you were locked up downstairs?" 

"Yes, Miss Tron." 

"That rotten liar! He told me he hadn't even seen you guys! Oooh, when I get my hands on him..." 

"What are you talking about, Miss Tron?" 

"Nothing," Tron said shortly. "Listen, I have to go to this stupid dinner soon with Prince Gary---he's the son of the King of Garrdan Island, so don't ask! Anyway, I think he'll be here any minute. You guys go hide somewhere, and see if you can sneak your way into the dining hall. It'll be a lot easier to escape from there. You hear me?" 

"Yes, Miss Tron!" said Number Two. "We won't let you down!" 

"I know you won't," Tron said. She was going to show that dishonest prince that no one messed with the Bonnes! It was too bad he was so good-looking...

* * *

"Where are we?" MegaMan said as he slid down into the well-lit, light blue room. Three bunks were located on the walls, and a huge hole had been dug near the far wall. There was a doorway, but the door that must once have graced it was now facedown on the floor in front of the room. 

"I'm not sure," Teisel said, "but I think we're within Garrdan Castle. I've heard that the entire building is carved out of aquamarine." 

"Hm," MegaMan said, not too clear on what aquamarine was. 

"It's not worth much money around here," Teisel said greedily, "but if we got some and then took it somewhere else, like maybe Kalinka Island, man, we'd clean up!" He began laughing boisterously. 

"Uuuuhhh..." A noise came from the doorway. Suddenly the door flipped up, then was cast away. A man in a set of clothes the exact same color as the wall looked directly into the room in which Teisel and MegaMan were currently standing. Since both of them were clad in olive green, it was unlikely they could blend into the scenery. "Who are you!?" 

"I'm Tom Stevens, this is my assistant...uh, MegaMan Jackson," said Teisel quickly. "We're the King's new efficiency experts. I'm must say, this room...what was it again?" 

"The dungeon," replied the stranger. 

Teisel assumed a haughty glare. "Yes, well, this dungeon is certainly _not_ up to par, let me tell you." He pointed to the hole in the floor. "What is this?" 

"It's a hole," said the man. 

"Yes, it is," agreed Teisel. "And what is it doing here?" 

"I...don't know." 

Teisel crossed his arms. "I see. I don't think I need to tell you that Mr. Jackson and I are most displeased. Go report to the King at once, and tell him that, of course, while we're not holding you personally responsible for the state in which we found this room, we certainly expect something to be done as soon as possible!" 

The stranger saluted, then said, "Yessir!" and started to leave. Then he paused for a moment. "MegaMan? Like on TV?" 

"Yes," said MegaMan, "like on TV." 

The man saluted again and ran off. As his footsteps got further away, Teisel began, "I thought you said..." 

"Hey," MegaMan said, "what was one more fib next to your story? Besides, it got him out of here faster." 

Teisel laughed. "Lying is an art, my boy, one in which I'm sure we'll get you trained, don't you worry." He surged forward, going the opposite direction of the prison guard---downstairs. MegaMan hoped there was something good down there. Or at least, nothing bad.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm really pleased with this chapter, so there. I sure hope Tron doesn't change her mind and decide to marry Prince Gary (wink). Anyway, more Servbot goodness, robotic angst, and family togetherness to come! By the way, my door has practically been beaten down demanding more of the reformed Birdbot Quackard, whom to this point we've seen in only one chapter. I know we can't get enough of Quackard, and I promise we'll see more of him later on. We did see a couple of regular Birdbots last chapter, and that should last you for a little bit, at least. **  
NEXT TIME: My Dinner With Gary   
  



	20. My Dinner With Gary

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 20:  
My Dinner With Gary

* * *

Tron was waiting at the door when Prince Gary's men came to get her. "About time!" she said, exasperated. 

To her surprise, Gary wasn't actually here to get her. In fact, it was a woman, the first she'd met since being held prisoner in Garrdan Castle. "Hello, Princess Tron," the woman said. "I'm here to escort you to the baths." She was an older woman, with golden hair turning grey and dull blue eyes that were almost the same color as the stone from which the aquamarine castle was made. 

Two guards also accompanied the woman, to Tron's dismay. The young pirate gracefully exited her cell, for cell it was, in deed if not in name, and followed the older woman up the aquamarine stairway. "And you are?" she asked roughly. 

"Lady Alaine, the Prince's aunt," she said, not looking back in Tron's direction. Tron got the feeling that Alaine didn't like her very much. 

That was okay, because Tron didn't care. "Are we going to dinner now?" 

"No," said Alaine sharply, "you have to wash yourself first." 

Tron didn't mind cleanliness, by any means, but something in the other woman's tone made her feel less than enthusiastic about her upcoming task. "What do you mean 'wash myself?'" She could feel her temper starting to strain, but didn't much care. It would feel good to vent on someone. 

"Just what it sounds like," Alaine said, leaving Tron no opening for comeback as they ascended the stairs and began walking down a hallway Tron was not familiar with. 

Tron resisted the urge to growl. "You don't like me very much, do you?" 

"No," Alaine said fiercely, stopping in her tracks and turning around to face Tron. "I raised him like he was my own son, do you understand? His mother died in childbirth, and I was all he had! And now he tells me his marrying some outlaw girl whom we've only heard about on the news! Noble blood or not, I don't care! You're an insect, a peon, not nearly worthy of Gary!" 

Grinning, Tron said, "Hey, I agree. I don't want this wedding to happen any more than you do. Tell you what: why don't you send these two off and I'll leave right now? Then we'll both be happy." 

Alaine turned around and resumed her trek to the baths. "Don't think I haven't considered that," she said over her shoulder, "but I have to value Gary's happiness above my own, no matter how...disgusted I am." 

Tron was starting to like Alaine, except for her policy on Tron's marriage to her nephew. Alaine took Tron into a spacious aquamarine bathroom, complete with several massive columns and a lake-sized swimming pool. As Tron dipped her foot into the water, she realized it was heated, either from an underground spring or a refractor-powered water heater. The truth was, she didn't care which. Tron slipped out of her aquamarine-colored dress and into the bath. 

She really had to get one of these installed on the Gesellschaft. The only problem was, she'd have to construct a whole new floor to house it in. Maybe if she sold the Golden Refractor. Teisel would never go for it, of course, but sometimes he had to be shown who was boss. MegaMan would pretty much do whatever she said, so...MegaMan. Tron hadn't thought about him for a while, had she? 

He was probably really worried about her! He'd probably think it was all his fault, too, because he was Spotting for her when she disappeared. If nothing else, she had to get out of her to tell MegaMan she didn't blame him. It wasn't really Tron's fault, either, because that damned robot had his stupid Catatonic Blast. She needed to figure out a way around that. Tron splashed her face and made sure her hair was well-scrubbed before she got out of the bath. She had to admit, no matter what happened in the next few hours, she felt good now. 

And her dress was gone. "What?!" she demanded, but no one answered. Apparently, a bath attendant had taken her clothing away while she was in the tub, and she hadn't even noticed. Tron grabbed one of the fluffy towels from a nearby stand, and dried herself off, then wrapped it around her body. She stepped gingerly on the wet tile with her bare feet, stopping in front of a wide mirror covered in lights. 

It was well-equipped, too, with a large hairbrush, a comb made of what looked like pearl, a bottle of hair gel (not Tron's brand, but it would do), and a wide selection of cosmetics. Tron made quick use of the hairstyling tools, brushing her brunette locks back into their customary position, but she wasn't sure exactly what to do with the cosmetics. Growing up in a family full of men hadn't prepared her very well for that. 

She pulled open the mascara and gently brushed her eyelashes. Next, she opened up three different colors of lipstick before she settled on one---her favorite shade of pink. Finally, she smeared some blue eyeshadow on in the appropriate places, feeling a twinge of pain as she crossed her bruised skin. Urrrh!! She wished she knew something more about make-up so she could hide that ugly thing! It was just laying there, on the left side of her face, mocking her. 

Tron put down the eyeshadow and realized there were about three-quarters of the cosmetic products left that she had no idea how to use. She jumped as she saw a figure draw up behind her. 

"Your dress, Princess," said the bath attendant, handing Tron a dress which for all intents and purposes was the same as the one she'd worn before, except this one had ruffles around her shoulders, although it still had no sleeves. They had also provided clean undergarments for her, so Tron put those on, then slid herself into the dress, groaning as she saw her reflection. She looked good, but if anything this skirt was _shorter_ than the last had been. She wasn't some kind of floozy, after all.

* * *

"Off hand, I'd say we're in the armory," Teisel said, gazing at the weapons, armor, and Reaverbots that surrounded them. 

"No argument here," said MegaMan. He inspected one of the deactivated Reaverbots. "You think that big one is..." 

"The one that fought Tron? I'd say that's very likely." Teisel began systematically removing the ammunition and battery charges from all of the weapons in the room. As he retrieved them, he chucked the items out a nearby window into the ocean. "You might want to give me a hand at this," he said. "It could save us a lot of trouble later." 

MegaMan nodded and began dumping whole boxes of ammo out the windows. "Do you have any idea what happened to Tron? Or Bon, for that matter?" 

"I hate to admit it," Teisel said, throwing a couple of Arm Cannon parts outside, "but I really don't know what's happening here. As far as I know, we have no standing feud with the House Garrdan, unless we've stolen something of theirs lately. I don't think they'd want to fight us just because we Dug in the ruins." 

"Me, either," said MegaMan, smashing a couple of batteries with his armored fist. 

"Hold on a second," Teisel said as he adjusted his radio. "Number Nineteen, can you hear me?" 

"_Yes, Master Teisel,_" came the response. 

"Well? Any progress?" 

"_No sir,_" said Nineteen. "_We still haven't located Master Bon_." 

"Have you even gotten to the bottom yet?" 

The Servbot hesistated. "_Ummm, well, we lowered Number Forty on the string, but it only went down about twenty feet, so, we don't really know what to do now..._" 

Teisel smiled. "It's all right; you'll figure something out. Keep me apprised if anything changes." 

"_Roger!_" agreed Number Nineteen. 

"I think we've got them all," MegaMan said, smashing one final battery. "What now?" 

"Now, we go upstairs and we crush anyone who gets in our---" Teisel started shivering, then crumpled to the metallic floor. 

"Teisel!" MegaMan rushed over to Teisel's side. "What's happening? Are you all right?" 

The elder Bonne's eyes were wide with shock, and he convulsed uncontrollably. Finally, he forced out, "I'll...bet...it's that...Strength Solution...side effects..." He gasped, exhausted with the effort of talking. "If...can't...go on...it's up to...you..." 

"It's a little early for that," said MegaMan. "Let's stay here for a while and see if you get any better, okay?" 

Teisel's face showed a little relief, despite his current struggle.

* * *

"You look lovely," gushed Prince Gary as she entered the dining hall. Tron could tell he was impressed with her preparations for the evening, meager as they might have been. Good. That meant he'd be more distracted when she made her move. That was why her heart was pounding so fast, she told herself. 

"Thanks," Tron said dryly, remembering that the good-looking prince had kidnapped her and, quite possibly, killed or seriously injured her baby brother. 

Prince Gary, Lady Alaine, and a man in a crown who must have been King Garland awaited Tron at the dinner table. As Tron was seated, the others took their own seats as well. Tron waited impatiently for her empty plate to be filled by the awkward, bumbling servant standing beside her. Each diner had his or her own servant, and all four were covered in aquamarine robes that hid their features. Tron's, however, seemed particularly clumsy, nearly falling twice while standing still. In fact, there was something very odd about that servant... 

"Psst!" said the servant. "Miss Tron!" 

Oh, no. Tron tried not cry out in dismay as she realized that her dining assistant was in fact, three Servbots in one outfit. Most likely Number Two was on top, with the other two standing on their respective shoulders to simulate the height of a human man. "Quiet!" she hissed out of the side of her mouth. "Don't screw this up for me!" She should have realized that the servant's arms were about a third the length of a normal person's. Still, no one else had as of yet. 

"What was that?" asked Prince Gary from the place to her right. 

Tron laughed theatrically. "I said, 'all this for me?' I'm a little overwhelmed." 

"Of course it's all for you," said Gary. "You're going to be Queen of Garrdan Isle one day. You should get used to living in luxury." It might have been Tron's imagination, but she thought she saw Alaine cast her a nasty glance from the corner of her eye. 

"It's all so much," Tron said, fluttering her eyes at him and giggling like a dolt. She noticed that the door on the far side of the room led to the outside. "Where does that lead?" 

"To the central parapet," said Gary. "It provides a wonderful view of the ocean, which we I shall show you after the meal. In the evening sun, it is unbelivably beautiful, though not so much as you." 

Tron couldn't blush on cue, but she found she didn't precisely need to. What was wrong with her tonight? 

Another robed servant entered the dining room. He walked over to Prince Gary's side and whispered something to the handsome young man. "I see," Gary said. "I'm afraid dinner will be postponed for another quarter-hour or so." 

"A shame," said King Garland, "but why?" 

Gary looked quizzically at his father. "Apparently, the refractors from the stove and oven have been...misplaced." 

"That was us!" said Number Two quietly. Tron caught a flash of red light from within the Servbots' robe. 

Okay, so she'd gained another fifteen minutes. What should she do with them? "Prince Gary," said Tron, rising from her seat. However, she did not realize that as she stood up, everyone else would be required by decorum to do so as well. "Um, sorry. Anyway, I thought, since we have a couple of minutes, we could go out on the balcony for a...walk." 

"That's a good idea," said Gary. "Please excuse us." He led Tron out the door and to virtual freedom. Tron saw her "servant" discreetly following her as she walked through the arched doorway. 

"Oh," said Gary, as if in afterthought, "I hope you won't mind, but I do need some...insurance to make certain that you don't try to escape." He punched a green button which was located on the outside of the castle. "I think I'll just call Guelly up here to ensure you don't try leaping off the balcony or anything of that sort." The floor in front of Tron and the prince parted, and she heard a mechanical elevator whine to life. 

Rats. She'd almost had him. Still, it wasn't as if there wouldn't be other chances. Basically, there was no chance of escape right now. Even with the Servbots to aid her, she couldn't take on a giant Reaverbot wearing nothing but the short-skirted fashions of Garrdan Island. Maybe if she... What was that? 

"MegaMan!" she cried. It was him! How did he know..? It didn't matter, it was him! And he was standing right next to Guelly on the elevator platform! Now, she finally be able to tell him that...that she forgave him of course, but maybe that... 

Tron was so distracted by MegaMan's arrival that she didn't see Prince Gary's eyes on her. The prince of Garrdan Island saw the way Tron's emerald eyes lit up at this new boy's arrival and knew his cause was lost with her. Gary's lip curled in anger. He would hurt whoever this newcomer was---just like he'd been hurt by Tron's rejection. 

"Who are you?" Gary demanded, clenching his fists. 

MegaMan took in his new surroundings very quickly, taking note of Tron, her captor, and the three Servbots who had tumbled over by the castle door. He looked at Gary coldly and paid heed to the voice inside him. 

"I'm MegaMan Trigger," he said, the sea breeze blowing gently through his hair, exposing his sorcerer's lock.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oooh, that just sends chills down my spine! Now that we're up to 20, I added "DEFINITIVE" to the story description because, let's face it, this story is so long now, it's a work of ART (wink). I hope Teisel's okay, and I sure hope MegaMan doesn't have to fight that giant robot behind him! You'll find out... **  
NEXT TIME: Trigger vs. Guelly: Unresolved Catatonic   
  



	21. Trigger vs Guelly: Unresolved Catatonic

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 21:  
Trigger Vs. Guelly: Unresolved Catatonic 

* * *

Tron couldn't believe MegaMan was standing right here in front of her! Now she'd finally get out of this opulent palace that was actually carved from gemstone...okay, it didn't sound quite as bad as it was. Still, she'd never been more relieved to see anyone in her life! 

"I'm so glad to see you," she said happily, her hand unconcsiously going to the bruise on her forehead. Why couldn't she have tried to hide it better? She had all that make-up ready for her to use, but she hadn't, and now MegaMan could see her looking like this! 

"Tron," said MegaMan haltingly, as if re-acquainting himself with her name. All right, Tron was happy that MegaMan had finally shown up, but if he'd forgotten her name, well, he was going to be in big trouble, to say the least. 

"Not to be rude," said Prince Gary from Tron's right, "but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to vacate the castle at once." He hid the motion behind his back, but Tron still caught Gary pressing a small button on his wristwatch. Behind MegaMan, Guelly shuddered and began moving. The giant Reaverbot raised one of his powerful fists slowly, clearly intending to crush her Spotter to a pulp. 

"MegaMan!" she cried. "Watch out! Guelly's going to---" _Crunch_! She was too late.

* * *

Trigger had realized the intent of the large Iscreme Sentinel seconds before the female carbon shouted out her warning. He leapt directly up, and landed on "Guelly's" fist nearly the instant after it had impacted with the aquamarine floor. Ignoring the female's sigh of relief, Trigger focused his aim on the Sentinel's head and began firing away with his Arm Cannon. 

Guelly raised his arm, trying to shake Trigger from his hand. The Purifier kept his stance, shifting his legs as needed and never letting up his barrage. The huge Sentinel stopped moving Trigger around and raised its other fist. Anticpating such a move, Trigger deftly rolled off of his perch and watched as Guelly punched one gigantic hand with the other. 

The Sentinel wasn't acting according to Trigger's expectations. In fact, it was reacting far slower than was normal for this mode of Ancient technology. That was okay with Trigger; it would be all the easier to crush it. He gave Guelly another taste of the Arm Cannon as the large robot shuddered with the force of its own blow. 

The Iscreme Sentinel groaned as it moved forward on its treads. Suddenly the indentation on the center of Guelly's torso glowed an angry red, and a wide beam of light streaked forward. Trigger dodged out of the beam's path, knowing that any contact with it could be harmful, potentially fatal even for a Purifier such as himself. 

_I sure hope that didn't hit Tron! Is she okay?_

Trigger shook off the odd emotion and fired another few shots at his foe. Glancing backward he saw that female beta, was, in fact, unhurt, as the male had drawn her backward into the arched doorway. But what was happening now? Had Guelly shut down? He knew that the Sentinel hadn't been fighting up to its specified capabilities, but it seemed that he had beaten it far too quickly, even considering its limitations...

* * *

"Get back!" shouted Prince Gary, drawing Tron back into the dining room. She struggled to get away from her captor, but her efforts were futile. 

"Let go of me!" 

Gary shushed Tron and hauled her a bit farther. "I think that's far enough," he said as MegaMan dodged another of Guelly's energy rays. 

Tron howled, and lacking any other form of weapon, managed to whack Gary in the face with her hairdo. "What are you talking about!?" 

"The Catatonic Blast," Prince Gary said with a look of anticipation in his eyes. "He's going to use it any second now..." 

MegaMan kept up a steady stream of fire at the large Reaverbot. Gary clamped his hand over Tron's mouth as she tried to call a warning. A black glow welled up from Guelly, expanding in every direction until it masked MegaMan from her sight. 

No! She struggled against Gary's grasp. She'd get over there, pick up MegaMan's weapons, and finish that thing off herself if she had to. The black globe faded to nothing, and MegaMan stood there weakly. Tron expected him to fall at any moment, but he didn't! In fact, he picked up his gun and kept shooting! The Catatonic Blast had failed! 

"What?!" the prince demanded, so flabbergasted by this new development that he lost his grip on her. 

Tron laughed triumphantly. "What a piece of junk! I guess you're lucky he didn't just fall apart when you turned him on, huh?" Apparently Tron was ignoring her own defeat at Guelly's hands. "Once MegaMan trashes that thing, I hope he doesn't hurt you _too_ much," she bluffed, narrowing her eyes and smirking smugly at the island prince. "He gets really jealous when other men pay attention to me, you know." 

"The Catatonic Blast..." said Gary, stunned. "It couldn't have failed. Unless...he's not human!!" 

Tron shook her head at the pathetic prince. "Gee, I don't remember the last time MegaMan _kidnapped_ anyone, but he's the one who's not human, huh? Get over yourself. Your pile of trash just couldn't handle a REAL Digger---" Tron inhaled sharply as a heavy blow from Guelly sent MegaMan flying into the castle wall. He slumped haplessly to the floor.

* * *

Trigger groaned as he tried to get up. True, the odds were statistically all but impossible of getting through a battle of this magnitude without sustaining a single hit, but he had been hoping that might be true this time. Even though Trigger's self-repair functions were already in action, he needed a moment to recover from the rocking impact he'd just sustained. 

"Hey, don't just stand around, there!" the female shouted to someone. "Help him out, you lazy chumps!" 

"Roger!!" cried three voices. As Trigger got to his feet, he saw three primitives leap onto the huge Iscreme Sentinel, apparently in a vain attempt to hold it motionless, as all three were unarmed. Curious as to why he should care for the fate of these pieces of equipment, Trigger rushed to join them in the battle. 

His Arm Cannon pulsed as it fired, sending its shots to targets specifically pinpointed to avoid Trigger's allies. Guelly began shuddering again, his torso beginning to shine as he prepared to fire another radiation blast. One of the primitive anthro units was latched on to the point right in front of the discharge point. 

"Number Twelve!" Trigger yelled. "Get out of there!" 

He was too late. The Servbot (for that was what these units were called, he remembered) took the ray blast at point-blank and was knocked over the ledge of the castle wall. Inexplicably, Trigger found himself running to the primitive's rescue. He slid past Guelly and, reaching down into the empty air, caught the leg of the Servbot, and threw him back to safety. 

Trigger rolled out of Guelly's reach and resumed his attack on the Sentinel. He had leapt onto his foe's shoulder when the Arm Cannon stopped firing. It was out of power? The power cells on this model were created to last over seventy-five years! Cursing his bad fortune, Trigger hopped off of his enemy and retreated, trying to formulate a new strategy. While he was running, he tripped over a male carbon that was lying convulsing on the battlefield. What was this beta thinking? 

"This really isn't a safe place for you to be," Trigger advised. 

"Don't....worry...about me," it said. "You've...got to...take it down,...MegaMan." 

"What?" said Trigger. How did this unit know him? This confusion delayed him four 4.3 seconds and left him open to the Sentinel's beam attacks. Trigger flew backwards, finally landing on the hard aquamarine floor. 

"Mister MegaMan, sir, are you okay?" asked Servbot Number Two, leaning over him. 

Man, MegaMan thought, his left leg sure was in a lot of pain. "No!" he said, sitting up rapidly. "Teisel's down over there." He pointed out the pirate's location to the Servbots. "Go get him out of danger, now! You hear me?" 

This commanding tone worked just as well for MegaMan as it did for Tron. "Right," agreed Two, and he led the others over to where Teisel lay injured. This left the more difficult job for MegaMan---drawing Guelly's attention, the job even more difficult thanks to his broken Arm Cannon. 

"Hey!" MegaMan called to the big Reaverbot, limping back onto the field of battle. This ploy worked, as Guelly immediately turned its gaze to the boy, charging up its beam cannon again. "Oh, no," said MegaMan, realizing that in his current state, it would be very difficult to dodge the shot, if not impossible. He tensed, waiting for the last possible second as the beam fired, no, he'd waited too long, he wasn't going to make it... 

An orange blur gripped MegaMan by the shoulders and whisked him to safety. "Babuu!" it said cheerfully, enveloping MegaMan in a crushing hug.

* * *

NEXT TIME: Broken Betrothal   
  



	22. Broken Betrothal

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 22:  
Broken Betrothal 

* * *

Bon cooed happily as he swiftly guided MegaMan out of danger, hanging on to one of Garrdan Castle's parapets with one hand, holding MegaMan securely in the other, safely out of firing range for Guelly, the prince's pet Reaverbot. 

"Bon!" said MegaMan, startled. "Where have you been?" 

"Buu," Bon replied concisely. "Buu, Baa--bu." 

MegaMan nodded, as if in comprehension. "I...see. I have an idea of how to take this Reaverbot down---if you can help me, that is!" 

Bon squealed in delight. 

"Great." MegaMan leaned in close to Tron's younger brother and began whispering to him, keeping a careful eye on Guelly all the while. The Reaverbot was still looking around for its enemies, holding its fire to avoid wasting any energy. 

When MegaMan had finished explaining his strategy to Bon, the largest Bonne slid back down to the lower balcony, dropping MegaMan off to the side. Bon then began leaping back and forth, trying to confuse Guelly and draw his attention in several different directions at once, but never actually striking. When Guelly had been thoroughly confused, Bon snuck in underneath the Reaverbot's massive arms and signaled to MegaMan that he was ready. 

This was what MegaMan had been waiting for. The boy pulled the largest weapon at his disposal out of his backpack and hurled it to Bon's waiting arms. Bon shoved the MegaBonne Bomb into Guelly's chest cavity, right in the middle of the beam cannon, and rolled backwards quickly. The seemingly small explosive, which looked like a normal bomb except for its color, detonated with a force MegaMan had never before experienced. 

Everyone on the balcony, including the Garrdan royal family and their servants, lost his or her balance, save Teisel, who was already lying down. When MegaMan's sight cleared, he could see nothing but smoke from where the Reaverbot had stood. This was a good sign, but he wasn't getting his hopes up. MegaMan limped towards the arched door that gave entrance to the castle, in case he had to take shelter from another attack. When the smoke cleared, however, MegaMan's first thoughts were confirmed. 

Guelly lay motionless, broken into no less than three pieces by the MegaBonne Bomb's powerful detonation. MegaMan resisted the urge to cheer, knowing that even though this battle had been won, he and the others weren't out of danger just yet. At least they had found both Bon and Tron alive and well. 

"MegaMan!" Tron cried, escaping the Prince's grasp and rushing to his side. He hadn't had time to notice before, but she was wearing a short, ruffly blue dress that really looked quite fetching on her, and was Tron wearing make-up? Some sort of eyeshadow, at least, and maybe some lipstick. She grabbed MegaMan's hand. "Oh, are you hurt?" 

"A little," he admitted. She looked _really_ good. There was something else, though, over her left eye... "Is that a bruise? Did they hurt you?" 

Tron touched her hand to the injury, an uncomfortable look on her face. "Oh, I didn't want you to see that. I got it when I was fighting _him_," she said, indicating the remains of Guelly. 

Before he could think about what he was doing, MegaMan guided his face in closer to Tron's and snuck a kiss from her. The truth was, he'd been aiming directly for Tron's lips, but he missed by a small margin, landing his own just to the side of her mouth. "Uhh..." he stuttered, blushing strongly as he straightened up. 

"Uhhh...." Tron agreed, her own cheeks turning pink. She looked longingly in to MegaMan's green eyes. "Um...I..." 

MegaMan was considering stealing another kiss when Bon piped up. "Babu!" 

"Little brother!" Tron yelled, diving into Bon's large arms. "I'm glad you're all right! What happened?" 

As Bon was trying to monosylabllically explain his entire grueling journey to Tron, MegaMan took advantage of the opportunity to check on Teisel. He didn't know why, but he was starting to feel very uncomfortable around Tron, although that didn't necessarily feel all that bad. "Teisel! How are you feeling?" 

"Better," said the pirate, sitting up for the first time since his earlier collapse. "I can move now, but it really, really, hurts!" He could not stand up, however, before removing the Bonne Bazooka from his right arm. Servbots Twelve and Twenty-Seven took it off for him, and he was able to rise, although his right arm was now swollen to nearly double the circumference of the left. Teisel looked haplessly at MegaMan. "I don't think I've ever been so sore in my entire life," he said softly. 

"I'm sorry, Teisel. I'll bet that the Strength Solution---" 

"Not so fast!" screamed Prince Gary, interrupting the happy reunion. "You may have beaten Guelly, but Tron Bonne will still be my bride! Guards!!" Several of Garrdan Castle's blue-uniformed soldiers ran into the courtyard, most carrying rifles or Arm Cannons. 

"What!?!" said MegaMan, Teisel, and Tron together. 

"You've got to be kidding!" Tron shouted. "Haven't you gotten the idea yet that I _won't_ marry you? If kidnapping me wouldn't make me do it, why do you think _killing_ me would?" 

"Don't worry, Tron," said Teisel reassuringly, standing painfully next to his sister. "None of their weapons are loaded!" 

"That may not be true," said MegaMan. While they had unloaded all of the weapons below and dumped their ammunition into the ocean, some of the guards might have had rifles or Arm Cannons that were already fully loaded before that, and some of those might still be present here. He thought. 

"Hold it!" thundered King Garland, stepping proudly out of the arched door. "Will someone explain to me what's going on?" 

"Of course, Father," said Prince Gary. "You see, I decided that..." 

"Not you, Gary," said the king. "I want to hear it from the lady's point of view." 

Tron looked a little flustered at having the spotlight put on her, but she dutifully explained the situation to King Garland, with Teisel and the others filling in blank spots as needed. When she was finished, the king's face took on an ominous expression. 

"Son, did you truly kidnap this girl and attempt to force her to become your wife?"" 

Now it was Prince Gary's turn to look flustered. "I know it certainly sounds that way, Father, but I assure you---" 

"I've never been more disappointed in you than I am today." With that, the King of Garrdan Island turned his back on the prince and entered the castle. "Stand down, men," he called to the guards, and they lowered their weapons. 

Gary's eyes were beginning to look a little moist. "Tron, I---" 

"Why are you looking to ME for sympathy!?" Tron asked, pointedly resting her head on MegaMan's shoulder. "Let's head home, boys!" 

"Sounds good," MegaMan said, looping his arm in Tron's as they, too, left Gary's presence. 

Teisel was next to pass by the prince. "After what you did to my brother and sister," he threatened, "you're lucky I can barely move my arms and legs. If I ever see you again..." He left it at that, staggering after the others. 

"_Buuuuu!!_" Bon echoed darkly, knocking Gary aside as he followed the rest of his family. 

"It was a pleasure to meet you, sir," said Servbot Number Twelve as he and his brothers passed by the prince. "I certainly hope we can do it again sometime!" 

Gary was left holding back tears of bitterness, abandoned by both his father and his fiance. His lifetime robotic companion was a smoking pile of wreckage just ten yards away from him, and it seemed as though nothing that was left in his life mattered. 

"Don't worry, Gary," said his Aunt Alaine from behind him as she slid both arms around his shoulders. "I won't let those ruffians get away with hurting my boy. That dirty little Tron Bonne and her freak boyfriend will rue the day they came to Garrdan Island." 

"Yes," said Gary as he met his aunt's eyes. The fire in them seemed hotter and more explosive than that which had taken Guelly from him. "I'll fix Guelly, and then we'll get our revenge..." 

"We'll do better than that," said Alaine. "We'll make those Bonnes wish they were dead. No matter how long it takes..." She clung to her nephew fiercely.

* * *

Tron was joining MegaMan in a game of Burple Bowling in the Gesellschaft's cafe. After the party had returned to their home, both she and MegaMan, confessing a desire to remove their separate costumes, had retired to their respective quarters and changed into more comfortable clothing. However, Tron did not share the fact that she'd tediously folded up her aquamarine dress before placing it into the laundry chute, pinning a note to the Servbots to be exceptionally careful when pressing it. And MegaMan did not reveal that after removing his dark green suit of clunky armor, he'd set it up in a place of honor on the far corner of his lower-level bedroom. 

MegaMan rolled his baseball toward the ten empty Berry Burple bottles, but hit only three. And it was his second roll, so his frame was over. Number Twenty-Six quickly set up the other pins for Tron's frame. 

"I'm beating you by fifty pins," said Tron smugly. 

"Don't be too happy," said MegaMan. "This is only my second game, remember. In three more months, I'll be wiping the floor with you." He brushed his fingers lightly across Tron's hand. 

She jumped a little and stared into his eyes. "Look, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about...what happened down there." 

"What?" 

"We both weren't thinking when...you know. After Gary telling me we were destined to marry one another for the last few days, the LAST thing I want right now is...something serious." 

MegaMan was stung. "Oh, I get it," he said angrily, snatching his hand away from hers. "The only thing worse than being married to Gary is to be in love with MegaMan!" 

Tron's eyes narrowed. "That's not what I meant. And who said 'love,' anyway!?" 

"I guess _you_ sure didn't!" MegaMan yelled. It was starting to feel a little good to be yelling. "That's all right, Tron, because if I decided I had feelings for you, I'd probably have to shoot myself!" 

"Why do you have to say things like that!?" Tron screamed. 

It was at this point that Teisel limped into the cafe, saw the fracas, and figured he could wait another twenty minutes for that cup of coffee, after all. It was a good thing he did so, because he also just missed Number Two pouring a cup of vinegar into the coffee maker, giggling ferociously. 

"Master Teisel?" asked Number Twelve from below him. 

"Yes?" 

"I was wondering what I should do with all these..." Number Twelve opened the door to his chest cavity. Several sparkling pieces of aquamarine sparkled up at Teisel. "I guess some of them got polished a little while I was jumping around so much." 

"That's wonderful news, Number Twelve!" Teisel truly was glad at the news, but his mind was still on the fact that the right sleeve of his favorite T-shirt had been ripped out by his bulging biceps, almost double the size they had been yesterday. "I guess we should get those to a jeweler, but I wasn't planning on leaving the local chains for a couple of---" He was unable to finish because of Tron's ear-piercing scream. 

"Hey," he said, entering the cafe fully, "you two really need to settle down a little---" He stopped speaking when he realized his sister was no longer arguing with MegaMan. Tron knelt on the metallic cafeteria floor, cradling MegaMan's head in her lap. "What happened?" Teisel demanded, walking crookedly towards the scene. 

Tron sniffed. "He just passed out. I don't know what's wrong, Teisel!" She patted MegaMan's pale cheek. "Hey, come on, wake up! MegaMan, if you don't wake up right now I'll pound you!!" 

Apparently, this threat was taken seriously by the unconscious boy. He stirred mildly, groaning. "Hi." 

"Don't you ever do that to me again," Tron ordered, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "You understand?!" 

"Yeah," said MegaMan softly. "It was weird, kind of like a dream. I was on a table somewhere, and there was an old man, and a girl, and I was talking in a really squeaky voice." He laughed weakly. "I kind of sounded like Data, for a second, but he's dead..." 

Tron and Teisel looked at one another. "Who's Data?" they both asked.

* * *

Glyde looked at the entrance to the Garrdan Ruins expectantly. "Any second, now..." The golden-haired pirate, sub-chieftain of the Loath Gang, had been waiting in front of the Ruins for the Bonnes that were exploring within to emerge. Glyde checked the controls of his newest robotic weapon, the Enarban Fell. It was bigger than anything Glyde had piloted before, and its powerful weapons all but guaranteed victory. 

"Where could Teisel be?" Glyde asked. "I thought he would have come out hours ago." 

"Erreeerrrugh!" squawked a bazooka-toting Birdbot. "Maybe they got lost in the Ruins." 

"I don't think so," Glyde said, "he's a better Digger than that. These Ruins are really big, though. It's probably just taking them a long time to explore them fully." 

"That makes sense," said another Birdbot. "Kek-keh-keh-keh!" 

"I hope I get to see that cute boy again..." Glyde said thoughtfully. Then, he addressed all of his associates. "I doesn't matter how long it takes. Once Teisel and the rest of them come out that door, it's all finished for them. Our new weapon is more powerful than anything they could even imagine!" Glyde began chortling deep in his belly, an evil laugh that encouraged most of the Birdbots to join in. 

Neither Glyde nor any of his Birdbots noticed thousands of feet above as the Gesellschaft moved off, leaving Garrdan Island behind forever.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: There you have it! Story Arc 3 is finished! Ohhh yeahhh (as Kool-Aid Man would put it). I was really pleased with how the majority of this section went. I originally planned to do it as its own story, set in the original timeline, but it only took like, two changes for it to fit naturally in this one. As always, feel free (in fact, feel obligated) to review and let me know how you think things are going. **

And, due to all the positive feedback from Bon's last narrative, I will present this chapter's events from Bon's point of view:   
"bon saved the blueboy then the blueboy and bon blew up the bad robot. he died. then his tron and everyone was happy and they went home. the end." 

And to answer a few questions I've received, in reverse order:  
---Data has already returned (CH 10, 11, 12), he just hasn't been mentioned by name until this chapter.  
---Don't worry, we'll see more of Quackard very soon.  
---Yes, Roll is a bit of a floozy in this continuity.  
---I'm sorry that Data's death made you cry; I hope you continued reading the story, anyway.   
That's it. Get snarfy, everyone.   
NEXT TIME: Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail   
  



	23. Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 23:  
Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail 

* * *

The Municipal Criminal Detention Facility of Quarrwump City, Quarrwump Island was large and white on the inside. Surprisingly, it was also quite clean. Still, the brightness and sterility did nothing to alleviate the depression that always seemed to come upon Dantz as he realized that, like it or not, he was stuck in jail. 

"I can't believe this," Dantz said. At least he wasn't alone in his imprisonment. 

"Shut up, Dantz," said Quackard, following with an ear-curdling squawk. 

Dantz crossed his arms huffily. "I still think this is all your fault." 

"Keh! It's not my fault that all Birdbots look alike! I wouldn't even be in here if we didn't." 

"Settle down, boys," Barrel interjected, cackling slightly. "It's not like being in jail's such a big thing. When I was your age, Dantz, I'd already been thrown in jail about eight times already! 'Course, that was usually for 'drunk and disorderly' and not for armed robbery..." The old Digger spread his hands. "I'd rather you didn't tell Roll about that, of course." 

"You told me you were going to be at the hamburger stand and you weren't!" Dantz accused Quackard, pretty much ignoring Barrel's comments. 

"I was there, you moron! I was just late. Honk." 

Dantz laughed erratically. "What was that?" He laughed a little more. 

Quackard gave Dantz a frustrated stare. "That was just my 'bird noises' program. I honked." 

The younger Digger started laughing uncontrollably now. "You didn't honk, you just _said_ 'honk.' There's a difference." Dantz started giggling, a little punch-drunk from the day's events. 

"I still don't know why they arrested me," Barrel said with melancholy. "Just because I was with you guys when they caught up to you..." 

"I think we're being railroaded," Dantz said seriously. He leaned forward on the bunk, put both fists on his cheeks, and mournfully reflected upon the strange circumstances that had resulted in his being thrown in prison.

* * *

_Earlier, that morning..._

"What's up, guys?" Dantz asked as he closed the door to Roll's workshop. Roll, Barrel, and Quackard were all waiting for him. 

"I was about to try and start this thing up again," Roll said, indicating the Reaverbot's toy, "and I wanted us all to be in the same room in case the ship blew up or something." 

Dantz nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He remembered the last time Roll had tried to start up the little, monkey-shaped machine. He'd been stuck in the shower and had to run around naked for---no, that was the FIRST time. The last time, Roll's workshop had caught on fire, and Quackard had been forced to inhale fifteen gallons of seawater to put it out, mostly because Dantz had spent the previous day writing, "Happy Birthday, Roll," on the side of the Flutter with the fire extinguisher. Quackard had spent the next week belching up seawater in various rooms and forcing Dantz to clean it up. The Digger was fairly certain the Birdbot was periodically inhaling excess water from the ocean, but once he'd told Roll about it, the puddles stopped appearing. 

The real tragedy of it all was that it hadn't even been Roll's birthday. 

Roll jabbed the electrical wire into the back of the toy, jump-starting it once again. The toy buzzed and blinked, sparking and bobbling on the table. Then, it lay still. "Well," said Roll, "back to the drawing board, I guess. I really thought I'd fixed the movement circuits this time." 

"Ummm..." said Barrel. Dantz was speechless. 

"I think you did fix them---ehhhrrrrauuugh!" said Quackard, pointing a wing at the work table. 

All four peered silently as the machine Dantz had found in the underwater Ruins began slowly moving its stubby arms and legs, then slowly stood up on the table. It opened its huge brown eyes, blinked them a couple times, then said in a squeaky, high-pitched voice, "Tron, Teisel, what's going on? Hello? Hey, I sound just like Data!" It looked at Barrel, then Roll, and then it shook its head in an odd fashion. 

Dantz stared at Roll, stupefied, as the little toy began twirling its hands and dancing in a distinct pattern. "That was different." 

"Yeah," she said, adjusting her cap. "At least it's working now..." 

"Eee!" said the toy. 

"Can't you talk anymore?" Barrel asked it. 

The toy danced a little more, then said, "Eeee! Eee! Ee ee!" 

"I guess not," Dantz said. 

"What are you talking about?" said Quackard. "It IS talking." 

"Maybe I should tweak _your_ programming a little," said Roll. 

Barrel adjusted his Reaverbot eye. "What did it say?" 

"Keh keh! It said 'Thank you for fixing me,' and, 'Where's MegaMan?'" 

Dantz looked at Quackard in disbelief. "Well, whoever or whatever built this thing, we can know one thing for sure: he was polite but had absolutely no taste in television programs." 

"Shut up," growled Roll, who was a huge fan of that particular TV series. 

"Quieten down, children," admonished Barrel. 

"I'm bored," Quackard complained, fluttering in place on his high stool. "Can we go into town yet, or what? Keh!" 

Roll began putting away her tools, never taking her eyes off the strange artifact, which was still dancing in place. "I think I want to stay here and keep an eye on this thing. I'm still not sure what it does." 

"We can't keep calling it the 'thing,'" said Barrel. "Maybe we should give it a name." 

"How about Da---" 

"No," Roll said, cutting Dantz off before he could get out the name, "we won't be calling it 'Dantz Junior.'" 

"I like 'Quackard the Second,'" said Quackard. "It has a nice ring to it, and we could call it 'Q-Two' for short. Errrruuuuullllerrrhhh!" 

"Actually," said Dantz, "I wasn't going to suggest 'Dantz Jr.' this time. I figured we could call it 'Data,' since that's what he sounds like, apparently." The toy monkey itself seemed to like this suggestion. It began hopping up and down frantically, hooting and hollering. 

"Do you like that name, Data?" asked Roll. 

Quackard clapped his wings over where his ears might well have been had he been human. "Errruuugggh! Yes, he likes it! Make him stop chattering so much!" 

Since Roll wanted to stay and study Data some more, the others said good-bye to her and exited the Flutter, promising to be back from their excursion to Quarrwump City within two hours. Barrel excused himself from the group as they entered the large city, saying he was off to get a cup of coffee and some groceries. 

"I heard that they had a really AWESOME arcade here in town," Dantz said to Quackard after Barrel had left. "You wanna go check it out?" 

Quackard began cawing so rapidly that Dantz almost thought it sounded like laughter. "Yeah, that sounds great, Dantz. And I'm sure you're going to meet a lot---errrrreeeerrrr---of girls in an arcade, too, but I don't think---keh---that it's the place for me. I'm gonna see if anyplace has some table games around here. And maybe have a drink." 

"Try not to lose too much," Dantz said. "We're not made of money, you know." 

"Yeah," said Quackard, "I know. Let's meet up later. Errr!" He pointed to an outdoor snack bar. "How bout that place, about noon? Sound good? Keh." 

"Sure thing," Dantz said. "See you in an hour." Humming and skipping, Dantz counted his refractors as he headed towards the arcade.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: So....looks like that little toy Dantz found was Data all the time! I guess I may not have dropped enough hints about that earlier. The reason it's morning when Data was activated and evening when MegaMan passed out is because of....time zones! They're on different sides of the world. Man, Quackard sure stole the spotlight in this chapter, didn't he? But we still don't know why he, Dantz, and Barrel are in jail. Maybe we'll discover that... **  
NEXT TIME: Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail, Part II   
  



	24. Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail, Part II

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 24:  
Dantz and Barrel Go to Jail, Part II 

* * *

"All right!" Dantz said as his skeeball fell into the fifty-point circle. 240 points so far, and he still had three balls left! Okay, so Quackard had been right: he hadn't met any girls whatsoever at the arcade. That didn't matter, because he was still having a good time. Meeting girls hadn't been the first thing on his mind when he'd come to town, anyway. Dantz picked up another polished wooden ball and cast it up the sloped ramp. 

"Ehhh..." This one fizzled out and fell into the ten-point hoop. That was a little embarrassing. Dantz loaded up and fired again. Thirty points. His final shot went into the fifty-point ring again, leaving him with a total of 330 points for this game. Dantz gathered his prize tickets from the slot and shoved them into his pocket. He thought he had almost two hundred tickets now, surely more than enough to get Roll a present from the redemption counter. Whistling, Dantz sauntered over to the counter, looking at the available prizes. Maybe a stuffed purple bunny? Or a poster featuring Dr. Wily? No, she'd probably prefer that soldering set on the lower counter. 

"How much is that?" Dantz pointed to the soldering tools, removing his tickets from his pocket and putting them in order. 

The big arcade attendant belched, scratching his five o'clock shadow, and pushed his long brown hair out of his face. "Three thousand tickets." 

"Glaall!" Dantz gulped. He guessed that was out of the question. "So, how much for the Dr. Wily poster?" 

The attendant turned around, exposing Dantz to a mop of greasy, tangled hair. Had this guy showered in the last week? Dantz didn't think so. "That's twenty-four hundred," the attendant read. 

"Okay, how's about the purple bunny?" 

"Fifteen hundred." 

Geez, why did they even have this counter, anyway? No one could redeem enough tickets for anything without breaking into one of the machines. "What can I get for two hundred tickets?" 

The attendant scanned the entire display. "Ummm, let's see. Some fake vampire teeth, wax lips, a yo-yo, a black spider ring, and a Zetsabre." 

Dantz pursed his lips. "I'll take the yo-yo. No wait, the wax lips. No, the Zetsabre. No, the yo-yo! No, wait, the Zetsabre! Yeah, the Zetsabre." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah," Dantz said. He took the very realistic-looking toy sword from the clerk. It was battery-powered, and when it was switched on, it glowed blue and made a _whoosh_-ing sound. Dantz experimentally tried the switch. Hey, it worked! He could hardly believe that batteries came included for two hundred tickets. Evidently he'd gotten the best deal possible out of the arcade redemption counter. He slid the fake sword into one of his belt loops and left the arcade. 

Maybe Roll would want to do something with it, although Dantz admitted he didn't know how good of a present a toy sword would be for a fourteen-year-old girl. Dantz started whistling again as he walked down the Quarrwump City street. He still had ten minutes to make his lunch meeting with Quackard. 

Dantz arrived at the Happy Times Hamburger Stand with five minutes to spare. There were a few tables scattered around outside for those who wanted to eat their lunch in the temperate Quarrwump Island climate---supposedly, it never got above seventy degrees or below fifty here---and as Dantz walked through the glass door, he saw there was also a counter fitted with bar stools opposite the grill. The smells were very tempting, but Dantz stepped back outside and decided to linger a little longer to let his Birdbot friend arrive before eating. 

Fifteen minutes later, Dantz's stomach decided he couldn't wait to eat any longer. Dantz went back inside, ordered a cheeseburger with mustard, lettuce, and onion, and after a few more agonizing minutes, took his freshly-made sandwich outside so he could wait at one of the tables for Quackard. 

The first bite was so good Dantz almost fell out of his chair. "Ohhhh," he said, mouth full. He chewed it some more, then said, "Ahhh!" He had to set the sandwich down for a minute to properly enjoy the taste. "Ooooooh!" he moaned, noticing from of the corner of his mind that some buzzing noise was coming from a building just down the street, but that wasn't important right now, because this was the best hamburger he'd ever tasted! 

Before Dantz could take another bite, he saw Quackard dashing up the sidewalk towards him. "Hey, Quackard!" he yelled. "You've got to try one of these! They're unbelievable!" 

The Birdbot squawked angrily as it rushed towards Dantz's seat, carrying a large cloth sack over one of his shoulders. 

"Hey!" Dantz shouted, grabbing Quackard by the shoulder. The Birdbot struggled against the Digger's grasp, but to no avail. "What's the hurry, pal? I thought we were meeting here for lunch." 

"Let go of me, punk---eerk!" Quackard sounded angrier and nastier than usual. As he gyrated under Dantz's strong grip, the sack opened slightly, and a couple of small refractors fell out. 

"Looks like you cleaned up at the casino, bud," Dantz said, picking up the refractors and putting them back into the sack. "Why don't you take a load off? I'll go get your burger for you." 

All of a sudden, Quackard pulled a gun on the Digger. "What are you, psycho? Keh! You'd better let go of me, right now, or I'll let you have it! Errrrrrerrrrhhh!" 

Dantz laughed. "Hey," he said, "be careful with that thing, huh? Makes it looked like you just robbed a bank or something." 

"Keh-keh!" called the Birdbot. "Man, your parents must be REAL proud of you, huh? Maybe I oughta just shoot and do the whole world a favor. Nah, no time." He finally shook himself free of Dantz's grasp and started running away from the Digger. 

Where was Quackard going, anyway? Dantz leapt out of his chair and started following after the Birdbot, remembering to grab his absolutely wonderful hamburger off the table first. "Wait up, Quackard! Can I borrow some of your winnings? I want to try and win Roll a present at the arcade!" 

The Birdbot squawked. "Get away from me, you freak! I'm tryin' to make a getaway, here!" 

Dantz continued chasing after his friend, accidentally plowing into a woman doing some shopping in the town square. "Sorry!" he yelled as he recovered and ran off. That was close. He'd nearly dropped the hamburger. 

Going against his better judgement, but with his appetite, Dantz tried to take another bite of his sandwich on the run. This did not work well, as while his attention was on the food, he slammed into a street sign he didn't notice, losing both his mouthful of sandwich and his balance, as he tripped over the Birdbot he was chasing. 

"What's your problem?" said the Birdbot. "What did I ever do to you? Keh." 

"Quackard," Dantz said, "this game has gone on long enough. Now are you going to go back and have lunch with me, or not?" 

"No, I'm not going to _have lunch_ with you! Errrrrrgggggg! And if you follow me any more, I'm gonna have to plug you, see? So, back off!" The Birdbot gave Dantz a dirty glare and ran off into an alleyway. 

What was up with Quackard today? Dantz shook his head in disbelief and tried to trace his steps back to the snack bar. "Barrel!" he said, recogizing the old Digger at a nearby coffee house. "Have you seen Quackard around?" 

"Hi, Dantz," said Barrel. "Haven't seen him, sorry." 

"No problem," Dantz said nonchalantly. "Hey, do you want to join me for lunch? These burgers are AWESOME!" Barrel agreed, so the two Diggers headed back for the Happy Times Hamburger Stand. As they got there, Dantz saw that Quackard had beaten him back. The Birdbot was sitting impatiently at one of the tables. 

"Where have you been?" demanded the Birdbot. "I got here a little late, too, but you're about half an hour late. Keh-keh-keh! I heard the burgers here are great." 

"How did you get back here so fast?" demanded Dantz. Hmm, that was odd, some sirens were going off. He saw the flash of police lights get closer and closer. 

Quackard shivered a little bit. "Sorry, old habit. I know they're not coming to arrest me, anymore, but sometimes I still think---" He stopped short as the Quarrwump City Police bounded out of their cruisers, surrounded the snack bar, and slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wings. "_Waaaack!_ What's going on here?" 

"You're under arrest for robbing the Second Quarrwump Bank," said the police sergeant. He then began reading Quackard his rights. "You're a robot, so you have no rights. Just shut up and come along peacefully." 

Dantz spoke up before Quackard's temper could come into play. "What are you doing? Quackard wouldn't rob any bank---" 

"He must be an accomplice!" shouted another policeman. He brought out his nightstick and hit Dantz on the head. 

"Ow!" said Dantz. 

"He's resisting!" said a third officer, rushing in to help the others safely arrest the suspect, mainly by whacking him with their batons. 

"Now, just a second," said Barrel calmly to to the police sergeant. "I can vouch for both these boys. First of all, neither one of them has the brains to mastermind a bank robbery, and even if they did, they wouldn't have done it---" 

"He just said he's the mastermind behind the heist!" shouted the sergeant, forcing Barrel around and slapping another set of cuffs on the old Digger. Then, after Dantz had been properly subdued, the sergeant read both the humans their rights: "You both have the right to remain silent, and you'd better, or else we'll have to wail on you with our nightsticks again. You have the right to an attorney, but only a corrupt one who is paid off by the state to lose your case for you. Do you understand your rights? If not, too bad." 

Dantz and Barrel were forced into the backseat of a police cruiser with Quackard tossed in on Dantz's lap.

* * *

"...all I'm saying is, it's not the same thing when you say the _word_ 'honk' as when you actually honk." 

"Yes, it is," Quackard said, pouting. That in itself was impressive for someone without lips. 

"Ohhhhh," Dantz moaned. "I wanted to finish my _hammmburger_. It was SO good." 

"Errrrerrrrhlll! Will you shut up about the hamburger!?! We're being accused of a _felony_, here!" Quackard leapt up on Dantz's chest, grabbing the Digger by the ears. "I didn't rob no banks, got it?! I'm not taking the fall for this! Keh-keh-keh-keh-keh-keh!" He began slapping Dantz with his wings. 

Dantz caught the Birdbot's wing. "Oh, I guess it was some _other_ Birdbot running around with a sack of stolen money!" 

"That's what I keep telling you!" 

Dantz and Quackard both began slapping one another. Then, Quackard wrapped his wings around the Digger's neck. "Stop that," Dantz choked, and he punched the Birdbot in the stomach. 

Barrel sighed and crossed his arms, studying at the ceiling hopefully. "Roll," he said quietly, "you'd better get us out of here before I kill these two."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Who was that strange Birdbot? I hope Dantz and the others can get out of jail quickly! Do me a favor, huh? If you like this story go ahead and read "Dr. Wily's Robot Rejects" and give it a review! It rocks, I swear! Also, go ahead and check out Chapter 22 again, becuase I added an extra scene (didn't change anything, just added more). **  
NEXT TIME: Dantz and Barrel Get Out of Jail (or do they?(yes, they do.(or maybe not!)))   
  



	25. Dantz and Barrel Get Out of Jail

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 25:  
Dantz and Barrel Get out of Jail

* * *

The two plainclothes police officers hustled Dantz into the interrogation room. The young Digger was shoved into an uncomfortable chair while the big, ugly policeman locked the door. He nervously looked around the small, unfurnished room, which only held another chair and empty table besides the chair in which Dantz now rested. There was also a mirror on the wall, which was very large. There was something funny about the mirror, though. Dantz thought if he tried hard enough, he could almost see something else inside it. 

"Listen up, son," said the small, ugly policeman. "We know you were involved in that bank robbery. Tell us what you know and we might be able to...go easy on you." 

"No, we won't," objected the big, ugly policeman, loosening his tie. "I'm gonna beat you within an inch of your life if you don't come clean." 

"But I didn't..." 

The small, ugly policeman leaned forward, supporting his weight with his hands. "Look, we don't want to have to do anything uncivilized here, but there was a lot of money stolen from that bank. A lot of money. Our higher-ups, they want to know what happened, and they expect results." 

"Oh, he's gonna get some 'results,'" said the big, ugly policeman menacingly. "The main 'result' is gonna be his face flattened against the ground." 

Dantz swallowed hard. "I really didn't have anything to do with---" 

"You think we don't know how it is on the streets?" asked the small, ugly policeman sympathetically. "You don't have any clean clothes, food, or a place to sleep, right, and then some slick dude comes up and says, 'Hey, I know a way for you to make some quick cash, you want in?' So, of course you say yes." 

"What? I don't live on the street." 

"You won't for long," growled the big, ugly policeman. "You'll be living in a maximum security prison. Believe me, there are tons of guys in there just looking for a nice, pretty, tanned piece of tail like you. Maybe you should get ready. Practice saying 'I'm your bitch' for me. Let's hear it. Who's my bitch?" 

"I'm your---hey, wait a second. I shouldn't go to prison for doing nothing wrong---" 

"Ideally, no," said the big, ugly cop, "but that's not how the system works. Someone has to pay for the crime, and you're were right there." 

"That's not fair!" 

The small, ugly policeman reached over and patted Dantz's hand reassuringly. "Look, kid, you're want to be a good Quarrwumpian, don't you?" 

"What does that have to do with anything?" 

"If you love Quarrwump, you'll confess to your crimes. Don't you love Quarrwump?" 

"Yeah," the big, ugly policeman said. "a patriotic Quarrwumpian citizen would do anything his government tells him to do. Do you want to be labeled as un-Quarrwumpian?" 

"I'm not even from Quarrwump!" Dantz protested. 

Both cops inhaled dramatically and exchanged shocked looks. "A foreigner, eh?" said the big, ugly cop. "That means you don't have any rights, you realize. We would be perfectly justified in beating a confession out of you." 

"This is insane!" 

"I'll tell you what's insane," said the small, ugly policeman. "What's insane is some foreign national coming in here and thinking he can make off with money that belongs to good Quarrwumpian citizens, that's what's insane! And if you think we're going to let you get away with it, then you've---" 

"Get away with WHAT?!" Dantz shouted. "I didn't steal any money from that bank!" 

"So what _were_ you doing there?" asked the big, ugly cop suspiciously. 

"I know," said the small, ugly cop. "He must be a terrorist." 

Before Dantz could say anything to refute this claim, the big, ugly police officer hefted him out of his chair and slammed him onto the floor, pressing his cheek against the cold linoleum. Then, the big, ugly police officer removed his handgun from his shoulder holster and pressed it to Dantz's left temple. "There's nothing I hate more than a terrorist," he hissed. "Just give me an excuse to pull this trigger---just one little twitch..." 

"Hey, stop it," said the smaller officer, pulling his large companion off the shivering Dantz. 

"These filthy foreign bastards just make me lose my cool," the big one apologized. 

"I was never even at any bank," said Dantz as he pulled himself shakingly back into his chair, "and I wasn't involved in any robbery! Why won't you believe me?" 

"A Birdbot was seen robbing the Second Quarrwump Bank," said the small, ugly policeman calmly. "You were seen aiding and abetting that Birdbot. End of story." 

"I keep telling you, that wasn't my Birdbot! I just thought it was, but it was a different one!" 

"Not to mention the fact that you resisted arrest," said the bigger man. 

"I really didn't do anything wrong!" Dantz said. "I swear!" 

"You'd best confess, punk," said the smaller one. "We've got the Birdbot in custody, and we've got your ringleader in interrogation even as we speak. Once he confessess, it'll be too late for you to strike a deal."

* * *

"Just give me an excuse," the ugly, blond police officer begged Barrel, pointing his handgun at the old Digger's left temple. "Just one little twitch..." 

Barrel laughed. "Are you gonna shoot me, sonny? Better go ahead and do it, then, 'cause I ain't confessing." 

The blond officer grunted and threw Barrel back into his uncomfortable chair. "Sorry," he apologized to the other officer, "but these filthy foreign bastards make me lose my cool." 

Barrel slapped his knee as he cackled. "Are you two following some sort of script? The cop shows on TV aren't nearly this entertaining." He looked at the ugly, blond officer. "By the way, the next time you threaten to shoot somebody in the head, you'd better make sure it isn't protected by Reaverbot armor!" Barrel clanged his knuckles against the metal plate that covered the left half of his skull. "Or at least point the gun at the other side." 

"Look," said the ugly, red-headed policeman, "a Birdbot was seen robbing the Second Bank of Quarrwump. Minutes later, we arrested you in the company of a Birdbot. End of story." 

"That's the flimsiest logic I've ever heard," Barrel said. "You don't have any evidence or I'd have already been formally charged by now." 

"Oh, you'll be formally charged," said the blond officer, "as soon as we wring a confession out of your accomplice! He's being questioned this very minute." 

"Dantz isn't smart enough to lie. He'll just tell the truth over and over until you let him go, no matter what kind of strong-arm tactics you use." 

The red-headed officer looked knowingly at the old Digger. "We have reason to suspect this 'Dantz' of yours is, in fact, the wanted pirate Glyde Wingstar, a known member of the Loath Syndicate." 

"Aside from the fact that Glyde and Dantz look nothing alike," said Barrel, "what else gives you reason to suspect that?" 

"How do you know what Glyde Wingstar looks like?" 

"He and I have met before," Barrel said. 

"Aha!" exclaimed the blond, ugly cop, slamming his fists on the table. "So you admit you've had congress with wanted criminals!?" 

Barrel snorted. "If by 'congress with' you mean 'destroyed various weapons belonging to,' and 'foiled evil schemes of,' then yes, I've had congress with Glyde." 

"Look," said the redhead, "the evidence is incontrovertible. Glyde works with Birdbots. You and your friend were found with a Birdbot---" 

"---End of story?" finished Barrel. "Once again, your deductive reasoning overwhelms my old brain cells. I'll bet you can't even establish that our Birdbot was the one which committed the robbery, can you?" 

"I...I..." stuttered the red-headed cop. 

"It doesn't matter!" shouted the ugly, blond cop. "Sooner or later one of you is gonna slip up, and then you're all going to the charlie house...I mean, the big orange line...I mean---" 

"What are you talking about?" asked the redhead. 

"_Jail_, Ed! They're going to _jail_! Is that plain enough for you?!" 

Barrel sighed. He had met Reaverbots smarter than these two.

* * *

"Are you sure?" asked the uniformed policeman. 

"It sounds stupid, I know," said Quackard, "but it's true. Errrerrrrhhh! I'm the janitor, and when I was tidying up this cell, the door slammed shut on me!" 

"I don't know, that sounds kind of made up..." 

"Keh keh! C'mon, who would make up a story like that? It sounds made up, so logically, it _must_ be true." 

"Okay," said the policeman, unlocking the cell door. 

"Thanks," said Quackard, stepping out of his captivity. "Tell you what: I'm not quite done in here, so why don't you go ahead? I need to finish up cleaning the, uh, bars." 

"Sure," said the policeman, and he left as Quackard pretended to dust off the cell bars with his feathers. 

The Birdbot waited a few minutes, then tiptoed out the outer door. Luckily, his diminutive stature let him easily sneak past the high dispatcher's desk. He sneaked quietly out of the police offices, hearing a Quarrwump City housewife complain loudly about her neighbor's twenty-three cats. 

"You need to go to Animal Control, ma'am," said the officer of the day. 

As Quackard stepped lightly into the hallway, he felt torn in two directions. The exit was just feet away from him, begging to be used, but something was pulling him in another direction. It was all Roll's fault, of course. She'd installed that damnable Conscience Chip in him. Two years ago, he would have left Dantz and Barrel to rot in jail without a moment's remorse. Now, his revised programming was ordering him to disobey his survival insticts. This left Quackard frozen in indecision, unable to even step in either direction. 

"Errrerrrhhheeeerrrgg!" he squawked at length. 

Fortunately, the decision was taken from him. 

"Quackard!" Roll yelled gladly as she came through the front door. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Quackard felt himself pressed against delightfully soft parts of Roll as she lifted him up in a hug. 

"Don't squeeze me too hard, baby," he said. "I bruise easily. Honk." 

Quackard explained the perilous, overly complicated situation to Roll, who was at length amused, horrified, and finally, furious. "..and now, your grandpa and Dantz the Doofus are stuck in the interrogation rooms, probably blabbing their hearts out." 

"Those bullies!" she growled. "I'm gonna teach them to mess with _my_ boys. Come on." She dragged Quackard to through the corridors, stopping abruptly and returning to one marked _DNA/Memory Evidence_.

* * *

Now the cops had forced Dantz to take off his shirt and pants, leaving him clad only in boxer shorts. "I'm pretty sure this is a violation of my civil liberties, guys," he said. 

"I hate liberal, yuppie freaks like you who think they know everything about everything," said the big, ugly cop. "Were in a war out there, you hear me? A _**war**_. I risk my life every single freakin' day and do I ever get any thanks? Of course not!" 

"It wasn't Quackard that robbed the bank," Dantz repeated. "It was a different Birdbot." 

"The problem, son," said the small, ugly cop, "is that we found a weapon on your person." 

"What are you talking about?" Dantz asked, thinking that the big ugly cop probably wouldn't be receiving any thank-yous from people he stripped down and tried to humilate in the interrogation rooms. He knew better than to say that by this point, though. 

"You don't know what we're talking about, eh?" sneered the big, ugly policeman. He slapped down the Zetsabre on top of the table. "So, you deny this is yours?" 

"That's a Zetsabre!" Dantz said incredulously. "I won it at the arcade. It's not a weapon!" 

"So, it IS yours?" asked the small, ugly cop. 

"Well, yeah, but it's still not a weapon." 

"Not a weapon, huh?" asked the big, ugly cop sarcastically. He switched on the Zetsabre and began poking Dantz with the glowing, buzzing toy. "Is it a weapon now?" he taunted, slapping Dantz's bare legs with it. "Is a weapon now?!!" 

"Stop it!" Dantz hollered, his eyes starting to tear over. "Stop it!" This had gone too far. "I'm starting to feel uncomfortable!..." 

"Is it a weapon n---" 

"_STOP IT!!_" screamed a new voice authoritatively. 

"Oh, thank the Ancients," Dantz said, sinking to his knees. 

Roll Caskett stood in the doorway, a man in a dark business suit next to her. The man looked displeased, but Roll bore a look of such hatred and disgust Dantz was almost frightened, save that he knew it was directed at his tormentors. She started to launch herself at the big, ugly cop, but the man in the suit held her back. "What the hell is going on in here?" 

"We were just---" 

"Shut up!" hollered the man. "I hope you both will forgive us," he said, looking both and Dantz and at Barrel, who was standing just behind Roll. "Please feel free to take your things, get dressed, and leave." 

Roll helped Dantz replace his clothes, then had to lead him by hand out of the police station. When they had gotten on the subway headed for the airfield, Dantz started crying again, so Roll had to cradle his head on her shoulder for the entire ride home, murmuring comforting phrases into his ear. As they exited the train. Dantz refused to let go of her, holding on with both hands as she led him back to the Flutter. 

"It was horrible," Dantz said as he collapsed onto the couch. "Horrible..." 

"I'll make some tea," Barrel offered, ducking into the kitchen. 

"How did you get us out of there?" Dantz asked. 

"It wasn't too hard," Roll told her Digger. "I just had the detectives scan Quackard's memory files for any evidence, or lack thereof. Once they'd seen he was never even in the bank, they had to let him go. They didn't really have any stuff on you or Grandpa to begin with, except that they caught you with a Birdbot. They had no choice but to release you." 

"That reminds me---I forgot to ask, Quackard," Dantz said weakly as Roll massaged his shoulders, "how did you do at the casino?" 

"_Waaaaaak!_" Quackard quacked nervously. "I, um...rather than tell you the actual amount I lost, I think I'll merely suggest---keh!---that we take off immediately and not stop until we reach the other side of the equator. Errrrauuugh!" 

"You're kidding," Roll said, kneading some of the tension out of her Digger, knowing the emotional scars might never totally heal. 

"No! Keh-keh! In fact, I think I'll go lift off right now." The Birdbot scampered out of the living room, no doubt heading for the cockpit. 

"He promised he wouldn't use the Flutter as collateral anymore," Roll said. "I can't believe he lost that much again." 

"It's okay," said Dantz. "I'm sure we'll make at least double that back when we sue the Quarrwump City Municipal PD for police brutality." Dantz flashed a grin at her, and from the look in his eyes, Roll knew her Digger was going be all right.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I couldn't find a last name for Glyde anywhere I looked, so I made one up. I don't know how Dantz manages to lose his clothes all the time. Poor guy. **  
NEXT TIME: Mega Man vs. Cut Man   
  



	26. Mega Man vs Cut Man

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 26:  
Mega Man vs. Cut Man 

* * *

_Mega Man clambered over the lip of the precipitous cliff. "All right, Cut Man," he said, "you may have beaten me down in the lumberyard, but I'm back, and Dr. Light upgraded me!" The champion of Monstropolis looked stunning in his new blue suit of armor, his Mega Buster worn proudly on his right arm. _

Cut Man clapped his arms twice in front of him, a motion which also caused the sharp shears attached to the top of his head to close twice as well. "I beat you once, Mega Man, but I didn't finish you. That was my mistake---one I intend to correct." Cut Man snatched the scissors from atop his head and hurled them at his brother robot. 

"Hah!" Mega Man dodged, sliding under the razor-edged weapon. He raised the Mega Buster and fired a plasma bullet at Cut Man. 

"Arrggh!" Cut Man shouted as the bullet impacted with his armored chest. 

"Well, I'm back," Dantz said as he entered the Flutter's living room. "I gave the the lawyer my deposition." 

"How did it go?" Roll asked, keeping her eyes glued to the set. 

"It was a little tough," Dantz said gingerly, remembering his abusive ordeal at the hands of the Quarrwump City Police. "Mr. Fleecem says we have a good case. He thinks we'll win even though I won't be there to testify." 

"Yeah? 

"Mmm-hmm," Dantz murmured. "He says the fact that I would be in fear for my life if I set foot in Quarrwump City again also works in our favor. Plus, it means we can go on that Dig we've been planning." 

"That's good news," Roll said absently, playing with her lower lip as she watched the television. 

"Yeah," Dantz said, flopping down on the side of the couch opposite Roll. "Oh, no. Are you watching this show _again_?" 

"Shut up," Roll advised. "This show is the BEST. You just can't appreciate its goodness." 

_"I hope you didn't think I came here alone..." said Cut Man ominously, gesturing to his right. _

"Ha, ha, ha," laughed a large, bulky robot, stepping out of the trees. He wore an orange hard hat, and the sheer size of him made it obvious he was the strongest of mechanical men. 

"Guts Man!" Mega Man shouted. "You fiend! How could you destroy the Monstropolis City Orphanage?" 

Guts Man chuckled evilly. "With my fists." 

"This dialogue is so corny," Dantz complained. "And where is the ocean? I don't see any water at all." 

"In Mega Man's world, there's hardly any oceans at all," said Roll. "They have these large landmasses called 'continents' that sometimes spread for thousands of miles in every direction." 

"What a joke!" Dantz dodged forward as Roll launched a halfhearted punch in his direction. "I'd start to get nervous if I couldn't see the ocean from wherever I stood." 

"You can't see it NOW," Roll pointed out. 

"I could if I looked out the window," Dantz shot back. He took a careless look at the screen. "Didn't these guys already die?" 

"This is a rerun," Roll said. "From the first season." 

"Okay, refresh me on the story." 

_Cut Man threw his weapon at the trees, mowing them down one by one. Then, Guts Man used his hideous strength to heft one of the trunks, swinging it at Mega Man like a baseball bat. Mega Man jumped out of its path, nearly getting whacked by Cut Man's shears in the meantime._

Roll groaned. "Okay, here it is in a nutshell: Dr. Light and his partner, Dr. Wily, were successful in creating the first artificially intelligent robot, Mega Man. That means that Mega Man was able to make his own decisions regardless of user input, okay?" 

"Sure." 

"After that, Dr. Light and Dr. Wily made seven more robots, including Mega Man's sister Roll---" 

"Gee, I wonder why you like this series so much, _Roll_," Dantz interrupted. 

"---and each robot had a different industrial purpose---shut up, you doofus---and they were called the 000 Series, because of their serial numbers. But Dr. Wily was jealous of Dr. Light, so he re-programmed all the 000 Series Robots to obey his will, which was to try and take over the city." 

"Gotcha so far." 

The Flutter's engine groaned, and the deck began vibrating mildly. "Are we taking off?" Roll asked. 

Dantz nodded. "Yeah. Barrel's flying. Now that I've given my deposition, we we can head out to the Forgotten Ruins." 

"Sounds like a plan," Roll said, stretching out lengthwise on the couch. She took off her puffy red hat and rested her blond head in her Digger's lap. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, so Mega Man was able to make his own choice and resist Dr. Wily's re-programming. Dr. Light hooked him up with the Mega Buster and some armor and sent him off to fight the re-programmed robots." 

"That doesn't make any sense, Roll. Why didn't Dr. Light just build an army of robots to protect the city?" 

"Because that wouldn't be a good idea for a TV show, dummy," Roll said, reaching up and ruffling Dantz's hair gently. 

_Mega Man fired a volley of shots from the Mega Buster. Cut Man was knocked back, but Guts Man withstood the assault solidly. The largest of the 000 Series Robots absorbed the shots' impact and grabbed a large boulder from nearby. He lifted the stone over his head and chucked it at Mega Man. _

Mega Man could not dodge in time. He slid backwards uncontrollably, rolling out from under the rock and just managing to clutch the edge of the precipice before he slipped over. 

"Oh, no!" Roll jumped, an impressive feat while lying down. 

"Haven't you already seen this?" Dantz asked. 

"Not this specific episode," Roll said matter-of-factly. 

"So, does Mega Man end up fighting his sister?" 

"Oh, umm...." Roll sounded a little embarrassed. "Dr. Wily didn't think Roll was important enough to try and subvert, so he didn't re-program her." 

"Why not?" 

"Uhh...because all she did was do odd jobs around the house. She didn't really do anything important." 

Dantz laughed. "Not like the _real_ Roll at all, then, is she?" 

"Well," said Roll, "she's _cute_ like the real Roll..." 

_Mega Man hung on to the outcropping for dear robotic life. It looked like it was all over for him, now. Guts Man and Cut Man were drawing ever closer. The only question was whether they'd finish him off with their personal weapons, or just kick him away and let the fall take care of him. _

"No!" Mega Man thought. "I have to make it! For Roll! For Dr. Light! For all of the people in Monstropolis!" 

As Cut Man and Guts Man drew closer, Mega Man thought he heard a faint whistling sound in the distance. It **was** someone whistling! But what did it mean? 

A couple of plasma bullets very similar to the kind Mega Man used showered down from above. Cut Man and Guts Man were thrown backwards, and a new robot, clad only in red and white, inserted himself between them and Mega Man. 

"Ooooh!" Roll gushed. "It's the first appearance of Proto Man! I've always wanted to see this!" 

"I don't suppose you'd care to explain that?" said Dantz. 

Roll turned her face ninety degrees so she was facing directly up at Dantz from his lap. "Um, okay, so Proto Man was the robot Dr. Light originally built to start the 000 Series." 

Dantz shook his head and rubbed his temples. "Hold on. You just told me that Mega Man was the first robot activated by Dr. Light." 

"Yeah, Mega Man was the first robot _activated_. Dr. Light built Proto Man first but never turned him on. Later on, Dr. Wily stole Proto Man and activated him---we never learned about this until the third season, though. We weren't supposed to be sure if he was good or evil." 

_Proto Man grabbed Mega Man's hand and pulled him back up. The red-and-white clad robot's scarf flapped in the wind. "Thank you," said Mega Man. _

Proto Man smiled, although the grin's intent was obscured by his dark visor. "Don't thank me just yet, Mega Man. I only saved you so we could fight later. I've got to know who's the best." 

"What do you mean?" said Mega Man. 

"Do me a favor," Proto Man said as he turned away. "Don't lose to these amateurs. I'll be waiting for you." 

Mega Man gritted his teeth as the mysterious robot walked away. "All right, you two," he said to Cut Man and Guts Man, "let's finish this!" 

The screen blackened, and then the credits appeared, flashing past graphics of Mega Man fighting various other robots. 

"You mean, that's it?" Dantz said incredulously. "I don't think they resolved any plot points whatsoever in that entire episode!" 

"That's because it's serialized, you dinglebat," Roll said with affection, sitting up. "When a story's serialized, it means each individual part doesn't make sense on its own, only when taken in context within all of the others." 

"They just do that because they want to make sure you watch all the shows," Dantz grumbled. 

"Duuuh," Roll said, replacing her hat. "Sometimes they'll give you a hint at the end of the show what'll happen the next time, like you can guess that Mega Man's going to fight Cut Man and Guts Man in the next episode. Other times, they'll just leave you hanging without any clue at all, and you have no idea what'll happen next." She poked Dantz in the stomach. "So, are you gonna watch with me again tomorrow?" 

"I guess," Dantz said quickly, sounding just a little too put-upon to be convincing. 

Roll rolled her eyes. "I think _someone_ can't wait to see what happens to---" While Roll and Dantz had been talking, the little monkey-bot they'd named Data had entered the living room, seen the images on TV, and starting hooting loudly, jumping up and down. 

"What's up, Data?" asked Dantz, nearly chuckling as he saw the strange sight. 

"Ki ki ki!" Data chittered, pointing at the picture of Mega Man on the television. 

Roll and Dantz looked at one another pointedly. "I guess he really likes Mega Man," Roll said, looking bewildered.

* * *

NEXT TIME: ???   
  



	27. Unknown

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 27:  
??? 

* * *

"Mistress Yuna! Mistress Yuna!" 

Yuna rolled out of her sleep chamber, one which had lost half of its effectiveness since she'd actually had to start _falling_ asleep before getting any rest. She missed the old days when she could just hop in and and wink in and out of consciousness like a light. "Yes?" she asked sleepily after punching the intercom button. That was another difficulty with her new body. It was far too inefficient at waking up. She would gradually drift from sleep to complete wakefulness across a period of around sixty minutes, and sometimes she'd have to ingest certain chemicals in order to become properly alert. 

"I've just detected some strange power readings from the D-27 Sector. These emanations are strong enough to indicate a Purifier unit might be present." 

Yuna felt herself jump to alertness far quicker than usual. "That's impossible! The last Purifier was destroyed over fourteen years ago." She looked at herself in the reflection of the sleep chamber. Her new body never did look that good upon awakening. She gently combed the tangles out of her short blond hair. "That would be welcome news, Gatz, but I don't think your findings are accurate. Re-check them, and I'm sure you'll find that what you're looking at is merely one of the Sentinels of Iscreme acting up again. Those poor carbons..." 

"Yes, Mother," replied Gatz over the intercom. 

It was really too bad that there were no Purifiers left alive. One of their hidden subroutines involved the production of excess nanomachines, which could be useful in so many different ways. The foremost of these uses currently in the Mother Unit's mind, however, was that of consciouness transfer. The excess nanomachines could repair her original frame and then send her cognitive functions back to where they belonged. 

Once again, Yuna cursed herself for her soft-heartedness. She'd poured so much of herself into fixing this carbon unit's broken body that, well, she had poured _herself_ into it. Every now and then she could feel her host's biological mind processes try to influence hers, futilely, of course. No primitive brain could ever hope to overwhelm her higher functions, no matter how strong its emotional impulses were. She walked over to the other glass coffin, which was now sealed permanently, and inspected its inhabitant. 

"This is really all your fault, you know," she told her original body, with its luxurious, long, green hair which _never_ tangled, no matter how she slept on it. Yuna often effaced herself this way. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." 

Now Gatz piped up over the intercom again. "Mistress Yuna, my readings are confirmed. You are correct that an Iscreme Sentinel was activated within the last three days, but the scanner report shows something else in addition. I admit I cannot confirm that it is from a Purifier model, but the readings themselves seem to have been obscured in some way. I would venture to say that it is something meriting further investigation." 

"Very well," Yuna allowed. "It's possible Sera developed some new Purifiers to serve her---without informing us, of course---before she was deactivated." She wouldn't put something of that sort past her sister. "That may actually work in our favor. That's assuming she didn't alter their programming to make them fanatically devoted to her." 

"We might be able to find some way of bypassing those commands," her Servitor suggested. 

"Yes, if there really is a Purifier there." 

"Perhaps these distorted readings are being emitted from some form of Ancient technology," said Gatz over the speaker. "It could be from something other than an Anthro Unit, or some form older form of Anthro Unit we are unfamiliar with." 

"Has there been any word from Eden?" 

"No, Mother," Gatz replied. "As you know, Eden has been run on full automation since Mistress Sera disappeared. All units save the Portal Guardians have been put into stasis. If you like, I can attempt to make contact with Eden's systems." 

Yuna shook her far too organic head. "There's no need for that right now. We need to go check out the Sector D-27 before taking any other action." 

"Do you want to me to fly you myself?" 

"No, I think we'll take a Carrier," Yuna said. "I sometimes get uncomfortably chilly when I'm riding on your back." 

"I am sorry, Mistress." 

"You couldn't help it," Yuna told the Servitor. "It's just this frail body of mine." She sighed and began her preparations for the journey. Yuna dared not allow herself to believe that a Purifer had been found. She had gotten her hopes up many times in the past, only to sink to the absolute depths of despair when she discovered once again that she was forever locked in her adopted host. 

If only that beautiful Trigger hadn't gotten himself killed fighting Sera...

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: And there was the chapter you had no clue about, ???. Time for a fun game: PUN WATCH! Okay, so I'm pretty sure everyone got the "rolling out from underneath the rock" pun in the last part, but check out part 18 for another pun you may not have gotten. At least, no one has caught it to my knowledge. It has something to do with the object Glyde steals from the Garrdan Ruins...and that's all I'll say. **  
NEXT TIME: The Forgotten Ruins   
  



	28. The Forgotten Ruins

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 28:  
The Forgotten Ruins 

* * *

The crew of the _I.A.S. Glyde_ went disgruntledly about their daily business as the large, sleek skyship closed in on the Forgotten Ruins. Birdbots upon Birdbots, each practically indistinguishable from the last did their tasks perfunctorily, if unhappily. On the bridge itself, most of the Birdbots were stationary, punching buttons and switching levers as the environment demanded. 

Except for the captain, of course. He merely relaxed in his comfortable chair and shouted orders to whomever he felt like ordering around at any given moment. "Helmsman!" Glyde shouted pompously. "What is our status?" 

"Same as five minutes ago, sir! Errrrerrrhhh!" 

"Excellent," said Glyde, draping his left leg over an armrest. "The Garoona Klang is almost finished. We've already got the Refractor of Iscreme, and now we only need three more large refractors, of Class B or higher, to finish the weapon." Glyde and the others had located the conical-shaped Refractor of Iscreme, also called the Iscreme Cone, back in the Garrdan Island Ruins. 

After waiting three days for the Bonnes to emerge from the ruins, Glyde finally figured they had clearly been slaughtered by the Reaverbots within. The prissy pirate had concocted a fantasy for himself where Teisel and that nasty boy who had hit him in the face with an explosive got sliced into little pieces by a large, pink, fictional Reaverbot he'd nicknamed "Mr. Choppy." Mr. Choppy, in addition to being large, pink, and fictional, also carried a rather large sword around. Glyde had even written him his own theme song: 

_You've gotta go, Mr. Choppy!  
Go and chop all those Bonnes  
Chop them up into tiny, bite-sized pieces  
Then chop them up some more!_

Glyde had already written thirty-six verses. He tore his attention away from his favorite reverie and tried to focus on what his crewbots were saying. 

"...that's gonna generate a whole lotta power," said the navigator. "Keh keh." 

"Yes, it is," Glyde agreed. "A whole lot of _destructive_ power!" He thought about cackling, but didn't. 

"You mean it won't work without five separate refractors?" asked a Birdbot from behind Glyde. He turned around and saw that this one was wearing a red captain's hat. That would make him the Prime Birdbot for this ship, second in command only to Glyde himself. 

"Yes, Number One," Glyde answered. "It takes four large refractors, plus the larger Iscreme Cone, to power the weapon completely. Otherwise, it's completely useless." 

"Errrrrk!" said the Prime Birdbot. "Getting this giant refractor out of these Forgotten Ruins is gonna be hard work! Do we hafta do it?" 

"Of course," said Glyde. "What else are we going to do?" 

"If you ask me," said the Prime Birdbot, "we oughta just go home, kick back, and find some other things to do. We're really cleaning up at the casino this month; we don't need to loot any more Ruins, or rob any more innocent people. Not for a couple of weeks, anyway. Errrrirrrhhh!" 

"Sir!" said one of the Birdbots. "There's another skyship approaching!" 

"Threat analysis?" Glyde commanded. 

"Keh-keh-keh! None that I can note, sir. It's about a quarter the size of the _I.A.S. Glyde_, with no visible gun turrets or torpedo tubes!" 

"They're probably here to Dig in the ruins," Glyde theorized, leaning forward in his captain's chair. "I think I'll take your advice, Number One. We'll slip off and let them do our work for us! Then, when they've cleaned out the place, we'll swoop in and take all their treasure by force! Helm!" 

"Yes, captain?" 

"Ahead full! Keep us within a twenty-mile radius of the Ruins until you see their ship veer off! Then we'll commence the attack." 

"Keh-keh, sir!" 

Glyde changed positions in his seat again, so that his shoulders leaned against one armrest while his legs were draped over the other. "It's just as well. I was getting sick of all that honest Digging, anyway. It'll feel good to actually _steal_ something from somebody." 

"Sir," said the Prime Birdbot, adjusting his red captain's cap, "I don't know if that's a good idea. Maybe we should just go in and find the refractor ourselves..." 

"I'll make the decisions around here," Glyde chided the Birdbot. "Don't overestimate your own importance." 

The Prime Birdbot squawked in irritation. "I'm not the one who named the _ship_ after himself..."

* * *

The Flutter had docked at the Forgotten Ruins almost an hour ago, and Dantz was eager to get exploring. True, these ruins were, for the most part, untouched due to their inaccessibility, but Dantz still felt some form of apprehension as the Dig drew nearer. Almost as if something was waiting for him. Something bad... Nah, it must have been his imagination. 

"I'm just about ready to go," Dantz announced as he closed the door to his quarters. The Digger was dressed in his usual mismatched grey armor, his pack full of useful supplies, only about half of which were named after him. Roll Caskett stood by the Flutter's main exit, a ritual for the two of them. "These Ruins are small, right? I should be back pretty quick." 

"Yeah," Roll said quietly, looking at her feet. 

"What's with the long face?" Dantz asked. 

"It's just...sometimes I think about you, when you're on Digs. That's all." Roll looked incredibly nervous. What was with her today? 

Dantz gave her a hearty laugh. "I don't think Cut Man's waiting for me in there! Even if he was, I'd give him a taste of the ol' Dantz Blaster." 

"I just..." Roll began. "Sometimes I worry that you'll get hurt. When I think about what happened to you at the police station, it...I..." 

Roll reached forward and clamped her arms around Dantz's waist. She squeezed so tightly that he was beginning to feel constricted by his armor. That was odd, Dantz thought. Usually she waited until he got back for this part. "Hey. What's the problem? I know, you're ready to go on a Dig again, aren't you? Look, maybe I can take you with me next time, if you promise to get some weapons practice in---" 

Roll shut Dantz up by mashing her lips against his. The Digger stiffened as she slid her arms up his back and clung to his neck heavily. "Mmmph!" he said. Bug-eyed, Dantz realized that Roll wasn't kissing him playfully like she normally did---this was warm, it was intense, it was _adult_. In fact, Dantz had assumed Roll wasn't really old or experienced enough to be kissing him this way. Dantz's helmet clattered noisily to the floor, breaking his immobility. 

Dantz shoved the girl back. "What are you doing?!" he literally screamed, staring at her for all the world like she'd just stabbed him in the gut. 

Roll backed off shakily. "I thought I...I mean you...I..." Her eyes were wider than Dantz's now, and they were wet, flicking between the Digger and her quarters, only feet away. Finally, her quarters won out, and she dashed into the green door, slamming and locking it behind her. 

Panting heavily, Dantz bent down on wobbling legs to retrieve his Digger's helmet and replaced it indecisively. "Roll," he called, knocking on her door. He may have overreacted a bit, but what business did she kissing him like _that_? It wasn't as if he hadn't enjoyed it. No, that wasn't what he meant, but something felt...wrong about it. Or maybe he'd just been taken by surprise? 

_Roll, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings..._ No, that was too easy. 

_Roll, you're like my little sister, I couldn't..._ That would probably get him strangled. 

_Roll, maybe we should try again. I promise I'll do better this time._ Maybe it was worth a shot? 

He knocked on the door again. "Roll, I...I'm heading into the ruins now." 

Dantz exited the Flutter, sealing the door after him. Off in the distance, Dantz thought he might have seen a sleek, black skyship veering off from his position, but what was wrong with Roll, anyway? What was that ship doing here, and why had he reacted like such an idiot? The Digger groaned as he jogged into the blackness of the Forgotten Ruins' entrance.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dantz is such a doofus. Hey, check out another new ADR story: "The Tao of Coconuts" on my author page. Just warning you, if you've never watched "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" show, you probably won't get it. **  
NEXT TIME: A Clean, Painless Dig   
  



	29. A Clean, Painless Dig

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 29:  
A Clean, Painless Dig

* * *

Dantz's booted feet clipped and clopped in rhythm on the metallic floor of the Forgotten Ruins. Man, it was quiet in here. And dark. Very dark. About half of the time, the power systems in any given Ruin would be functioning. That meant that the other half, it was basically very dark inside. Luckily, Dantz had the situation covered. He clicked on the lamplight in his trusty Digger's helmet, which shined its beam brightly into the dank dungeon. 

Man, what had Roll been thinking, kissing him like that? Dantz had long since passed the age where a young man started thinking about nothing but girls ninety percent of the time, but he had always tried to keep Roll as pure as possible in his private thoughts. The Digger blushed as he recalled the younger girl's hot lips pressed against his, the shocking realization that her tongue was, indeed, probing for his own--- 

"No!" Dantz yelled out loud. How could he _stop_ thinking about it? Here he was, risking his very life in an extremely dark and dangerous Ruin, and Roll's fierce kiss was the only thing on his mind. He needed something to distract him. 

Something like a Reaverbot nest. Eight short Reaverbots popped out of the two walls on both sides of Dantz. They looked angry, and they looked mean. The Digger charged up the Dantz Blaster. "This'll do." 

Ten minutes later, Dantz flipped sidewise around the final Reaverbot's laser and held the Dantz Blaster up to its eye. "'Bye," he said succinctly and pulled the trigger. The Reaverbot emitted a mild explosion and fell backward. Now began the hard part. Dantz started taking the Reaverbot husks apart, removing the valuable refractors that were hidden inside. These ruins had a very straightforward layout, but Dantz wondered if there might be any traps ahead. He hesistated, then called back to the ship. "Roll, what's the corridor ahead look like? Roll?" 

The radio crackled. "_Um, looks like you're clear, as far as the next chamber goes, keh! But there's some bigger Reaverbots in the one after that---ererrrrrhhh!_" 

"Quackard?! Quit playing on the radio. Let me talk to Roll." 

"_Keh! Roll said she wasn't feeling good and asked me to Spot for you. Would you rather have the monkey do it?_" 

"What about Barrel?" asked Dantz, picking up the last of the refractors. 

"_Grampy's in the bathtub right now, and you **know** how long his 'Time for Barrel' always takes. I think he switched the jets on._" 

Dantz groaned in appreciation. He was actually very glad he wasn't on the Flutter right now. Of course, he sort of already had been. "I'll guess we'll have to make do. How did Roll seem to be doing?" 

"_Errrrlllleeeeuggh! Her eyes were really red, and she was sniffing a lot. I'll bet she's got a sinus infection, maybe the pinkeye._" 

"Yeah," Dantz agreed absently, speeding through the empty corridor, "I'll bet that's it." Maybe he could have found less violent way of rebuffing Roll's advances, but she had taken him completely by surprise. The only way he could have been more shocked was if Barrel himself had given Dantz a bearded kiss. It wasn't like he didn't care about her, for the Ancients' sake! 

Dantz encountered another couple of Reaverbots to distract him as he entered the next room. He fired twice with the Dantz Blaster, then jumped up, pulling himself on top of a nearby raised platform. As he had known from various other Digs, this allowed Dantz to fire rapidly upon his robotic enemies with impunity. Mere seconds later, the two clawed Reaverbots were nothing more than useless piles of junk littering the floor of the Forgotten Ruins. Dantz collected their refractors and walked through the automatic door which led to the next area. 

"_There are two different directions to choose from_," said Quackard, confirming what Dantz saw. "_You can go left---that looks like it leads to the power core, keh! The right just stops at another small room._" 

"I'll go right first," said Dantz as he took off running. "That way I can get the generator's big refractor last and just zip right out." He jogged into the small room, keeping an eye out for any Reaverbot activity. Nothing seemed to notice his entry, so he hopped up onto a protruding ledge, discovering a hidden treasure. 

"I wonder what this is?" Dantz asked out loud. 

"_Errrrrerrrrh! How should I know? You're the one that can see it._" 

"Sorry." Maybe Roll could figure out something to do with the small, complicated-looking chip he had found. "Doooh!" Dantz said, as he'd brought the girl into his foremost thoughts again. "Stop that!" he said to a mental vision of himself and Roll embracing passionately. 

Dantz grunted as he hopped off the ledge and headed toward the power core. After a warning from Quackard, he shot at two Reaverbots before they could fully emerge from the charging chambers. Dantz once again removed their refractors and continued on. 

The lights were on as Dantz entered the large core room. A large blue refractor spun gently in the power locus, refracting its energy throughout the Ruins. Or at least, that was what it should have been doing. Obviously, it was functioning properly. Dantz hoped it wasn't a problem with the refractor, and as he walked closer carefully, he saw that the blue gem seemed to be in pristine condition. No cracks or fissures adorned its azure surface, leading Dantz to the conclusion that it was, indeed, not the problem with the Forgotten Ruins power losses. Dantz lowered the protective screen with the control panel, then carefully closed his hands around the jewel. 

"Hold on," he said as he caught himself. "Quackard, are there any traps or hidden Reaverbots here?" 

"_I don't see any---keh-keh_!" 

Dantz paused even further. "Better run that scan again. You remember what happened last time..." 

"_Yeah, yeah._" Through the voicelink, Dantz could hear Quackard punching what he hoped were the proper buttons on the console. "_Reading is confirmed, honk. There's nothing there except the refractor._" 

"I sure hope you're right..." Dantz gently caressed the refractor with his gloved fingers, then gingerly lifted it out of its cradle and tucked it into his pack. He peered around in every conceivable direction, but nothing appeared to have changed. Just to be safe, he ran out of the power core as speedily as he was able. 

_This_ was where the giant, ugly Reaverbot was going to be, Dantz realized as he stepped back into the area outside the power chamber. He flinched, stepping on his tiptoes into the wider area of the room. After a couple of minutes, Dantz opened his squinted eyes, noticed that there was no massive guardian about, and began happily making his way back through the ruins. "Well, Quackard," said Dantz, "I guess I've made it completely through the Ruins. It was short, just like I thought, and if you don't mind me saying so, I DOMINATED these Ruins so hard-core that it's simply amazing." 

"_Don't pat yourself on the back too much,_" Quackard said, his sarcasm circuits actually doing an appropriate rendition of his current emotion. "_You might just wear a hole in your armor._" 

"Yeah," said Dantz as he entered a large, rectangular chamber with several square pillars in the center. He was almost to the exit now. "Who's your daddy?!" he asked the Ruins expectantly. "Who's your daddy?! I tell you what, Quackard, I don't think I could be happier with the way this Dig went---" Dantz's boasting stopped abruptly. 

"_What is it?_" asked the Birdbot. "_Uh-oh. Dantz, you're not gonna like this---keh---but I just picked up a---_" 

"Huge Reaverbot," Dantz said, looking at the monster in front of him, stunned. "You just caught it," he said with resignation, "it wasn't there before." 

"_Yeah,_" said Quackard apologetically. 

"Quackard, I really, _really_ mean it this time," Dantz said, pulling out his other weapon as the giant guardian activated, "those sensors have _got_ to be upgraded. As soon as possible!" 

"_Waaaak!_" the Birdbot quacked over the voicelink in affirmation. 

Dantz hooked the Diggermissiles onto his left arm. As the Digger bounded off the wall of the chamber, he let fly with a cascade of the powerful projectiles. He had originally wanted to name the weapon the "Diggerlauncher," but Roll had convinced him that a weapon called the Diggerlauncher would be launching Dantz at the Reaverbots instead of missiles. So he had conceded. 

The young Digger tried to force Roll out of his thoughts yet again as he dodged the giant Reaverbot's pointed weapon. The Diggermissiles, unfortunately, did not have an impressive rate of fire, despite their powerful explosive capability. Dantz clicked off his secondary weapon and began laying into the Reaverbot with his Dantz Blaster. Powerful green bolts arced through the air, impacting loudly with the guardian's armor. 

The whole situation, thought Dantz as he dodged another attack, was entirely Roll's fault. If she hadn't tried to maul him on the Flutter, he wouldn't have gotten so wound up. He would have been able to keep his mind on his Digging, and probably have been done with this battle earlier. He wouldn't even be thinking about this all right now instead of concentrating on business. 

Dantz backed up and let the guardian have another two blasts. It shuddered, then stopped moving. Dantz allowed himself to relax a little after a few more seconds of stillness. "Okay," he said acceptingly, unbuckling the Diggermissiles and slipping them back into the rucksack. The Reaverbot was still between him and the entrance, and Dantz wasn't quite willing to risk getting smashed just because the Reaverbot seemed to be inactive. 

"Hey, Quackard," he called into the voicelink, "is that thing dead or not?" 

"_Nope, keh-keh-keh! It's still active, just playing possum._" 

"That's what I thought," Dantz said, raising the Dantz Blaster. "Nice try," he told the Reaverbot as he discharged one final round at it. The guardian tried to move as the blasts came forth, but had waited far too long. Its head flew off in an ear-splitting crash. Dantz had ducked around a pillar and managed to avoid most of the flying debris. 

Dantz sneaked a peek at the carnage and saw that all was well. "Yeah!" he said as he performed a small victory dance. "Get ready, pal," he said to his Spotter. "I'm coming home!"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Just so everyone is clear on this, while I obviously don't mind bending reality with this story, I won't be including _any_ continuity crossovers. Period. I find them somewhat disgusting. You won't see any new characters named "Zero Johnson," or "BombMan Trigger," or even "Thomas J. Light, Attorney at Law." Now that I've written that last one, it sounds kind of funny and I want to use it but I still WON'T. I know that we had that character Mayl at the beginning of the story, but that was kind of a joke, and she clearly was nothing like the actual Mayl. If I do slip something like that in and it's not a joke or pun (like the Mega Man TV show), you have my permission to shoot me. Or at least throw your computer out the window. **  
NEXT TIME: Destroy the _I.A.S. Glyde_!   
  



	30. Destroy the IAS Glyde!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 30:  
Destroy the _I.A.S. Glyde_! 

* * *

Only one more staircase, and Dantz would be out of the Forgotten Ruins. The Digger had already taken the quantum refractors out of the ruins' huge guardian Reaverbot, which left him with a nice take for what was, overall, a clean, painless Dig, although one had to take the small size of the ruins into consideration. "All right, Quackard," said Dantz, "We should probably check one more time. Is there anything else I need to worry about in here?" 

"_You look clear to me,_" said his temporary Spotter. "_All my instruments show---**waaaak!** What are you doing?!_" 

"_Ki ki!_" chittered a cheery voice from Quackard's side of the voicelink. 

"_Stop it!_" demanded the Birdbot. "_Stop dancing on those, you stupid ape! That's going to---_" The voicelink crackled, then was silent. Dantz grinned at his Spotter's predicament. Evidently Data had decided to dance a little jig on top of the control panel! 

As he grew closer to the exit, Dantz realized that he was feeling more and more nervous, a contrast to the relaxation he usually felt when leaving the ever-so-dangerous ruins. He knew that his inevitable next meeting with Roll might be the most uncomfortable he'd ever have in his life. The bottom dropped out of Dantz's stomach as he emerged into the sunlight. It would take a few moments for his eyes to adjust, so he clicked off his helmet's lamplight and leaned against the wall. His breath seemed to be coming a little short. 

Finally, the time came when he could no longer justify any further delay, so Dantz reluctantly trudged back to his skyship and slowly unsealed the door. "Roll," he began pre-emptively as soon as he walked in the door, "I just want to say---" He stopped. There was no cheerful greeting, no viselike grip around his waist. In fact, no one was there to greet him upon his return from the Ruins at all. 

Knocking on Roll's door, he called, "Roll? Are you still in there?" 

"Go away," a muffled voice told him. 

"Are you sure? We really ought to talk." 

A small hesitation, then: "Leave me alone!" 

That had gone well. Dantz sighed and walked onto the bridge. "Hey, is anyone here?" 

Data plummeted down, barely holding onto the deck ladder as he slid. The monkey began making random noises, then hopped onto Dantz's shoulder. He sounded very excited. "Well, at least someone's glad to see me!" 

"Errrrrerrrraaaaaah!" squawked Quackard as he hobbled down the ladder. "Where is he?! I'm gonna kill him!" 

"Settle down," said Dantz. "He didn't break anything, did he?" 

Quackard grimaced. "Well---keh keh---not that I know of, but that doesn't mean---" 

"Then we'll be fine," Dantz said calmly. "I guess Roll's not coming out for a while, probably, so I think I'll get us moving, okay?" When no arguments were presented, Dantz took the steering wheel, set the engines for half-throttle, and launched the Flutter. "Attention all passengers," he said through the shipwide address, "we're currently cruising at half-speed, on course away from the Forgotten Ruins and to all points west." He loved doing this, even though Barrel and Quackard had both told him it was dumb. 

Dantz sighed as he steered away from the oceanic Ruins. The situation with Roll was going to take a lot of delicate handling to resolve, but at least it was the biggest problem he was going to have to worry about for a while.

* * *

The sounds of the _I.A.S. Glyde_'s standard instruments were quite distinctive, but at the moment, they were being drowned out by the persistent, mechanical noises coming out of the mouth of its napping captain. In fact, it was lucky that Birdbots could, if they chose, turn down the volume on their ears. Practically all of the Birdbots on the bridge had done so as to not be inflicted with their master's snoring. Unfortunately, this feature had presented Glyde and Loath with certain problems throughout their careers, when many a Birdbot blatantly disobeying orders had used "I couldn't hear you" as an excuse. 

"Keh-keh! Sir! Their skyship is moving off!" 

Glyde snorted a few times as he awoke. "Excellent," he said sleepily, smacking his lips. Then, he yawned. "I can't wait for the attack!" Suddenly Glyde was full of energy. He stood up directly on the seat of his captain's chair and began doing an impromptu tap dance. "We're going to steal the big refactor!! Hee hee!" 

While Glyde was expressing himself, the Birdbots took the opportunity to punch each other in the shoulder. One Birdbot punched the one to his right, then _he_ punched the next one, and so on until they had all cranked their interal volume controls back to normal. 

"And then," Glyde said dramatically, slashing the air with his hand, "we'll only need two more to complete our ultimate destructive device, the Garoona Klang!!!" All of the Birdbots squawked in salute as their leader posed. "How long until we're in firing range?" 

"Two minutes, sir!" 

"Wonderful!" Glyde swept back his scarf. "Once we've closed in, fire all torpedoes at once! Don't let them get away!" 

"Keh-keh, sir!"

* * *

"Whoa!" Dantz cried as the Flutter was shaken by impact. "What's going on out there?" 

"We're being attacked, keh-keh!" Quackard said, looking out a porthole. "They've fired torpedoes at us!" 

"Aw, great," Dantz said, trying to fly the Flutter evasively. "I don't think we can outmanuever all of them. I'd better get up on deck and see if I can take some of them down." 

"I'll help," offered Quackard, grabbing a small bazooka out of a nearby cabinet. "Let's rock. Errrerrrrggghhh!" 

"Wait." Dantz stopped, looking around the bridge. "If we're both going up there, who's going to fly the ship?" Both man and Birdbot found their eyes wandering to Data, the bridge's only other occupant, dancing happily under the valve control. 

"No," they said together. 

Dantz grabbed the microphone. "Roll, Barrel, will one of you please report to the bridge immediately? We are under attack. I repeat---" Wait, he probably didn't need to repeat that. "Never mind. One of you needs to fly the ship. I'm going to go on deck and shoot at our attacker now. Over." He hung up the mike and looked at Quackard. "I'll go up. You stay here until somebody else takes the wheel, okay?" 

"Errrrrerrr," squawked the re-programmed Birdbot hesitantly but affirmatively. 

Dantz climbed the ladder with determination. Out of everything else that had happened in the last few hours, this was simply too much. After he emerged on the deck, Dantz charged up the Dantz Blaster, changing its specs to allow the furthest range possible for his shots. This would sacrifice some of the power behind the shots, but he deemed it an acceptable trade. The deck rocked again as another torpedo smashed into the Flutter's hull. 

Dantz began shooting rapidly at the torpedoes, blowing them up one by one. Each time a torpedo broke through his defense, Dantz would flinch, cursing himself for his lax aim. Things got a bit easier as Quackard joined the Digger on deck, adding his cover fire to Dantz's own. 

"Keh-keh!" Quackard said as he destroyed another flying projectile. 

"Who's attacking us? Pirates?" 

"Yeah," said the Birdbot. "They must be after our loot from that last Dig." 

Dantz and Quackard continued firing shot after shot at the speeding torpedoes. Finally, after several dozen of the projectiles had been destroyed (and five had hit the Flutter), the barrage stopped. Both defenders saw the sleek black skyship begin to close the gap between it and the Flutter. 

"Errk!" squawked Quackard shortly. "It's the _I.A.S. Glyde_!" 

"The what?" 

"The _I.A.S. Glyde_!" Quackard repeated. "It's Glyde's flagship! It has some really powerful ammo, and because it's a pirate ship, it's made to be fast. I should know; I used to be one of its engineers." 

"Really? I didn't know that." 

"Yeah. I don't know if we can win this one. Last time you fought Glyde, he didn't have nearly this much firepower on his hands." Quackard fired a shot randomly at the approaching airship. "Take that, you losers! Back off!" 

Dantz scratched his head. "Hey, what does 'I.A.S.' stand for?" 

"Keh-keh-keh-keh-keh-keh!" Quackard laughed. "It stands for 'Impressive Air Ship.' Glyde always thought if calling something by its initials was cool, then making some more initials up for it would be even cooler. He's funny like that." 

"Not exactly funny," Dantz said as he re-attached the Diggermissiles to his left arm. "More like 'idiotic' or 'loopy,' if you ask me." He aimed the missiles at the incoming vessel, waiting for it to get inside his firing range.

* * *

"Oh, are those two brave souls making a last stand against us?" Glyde taunted from his captain's chair. "That's _so_ heroic! Wait a minute!" Glyde leaned forward in the seat, trying to catch a better view of the smaller skyship. "That's the Flutter, isn't it?" 

"I believe so, sir! Errrrerrruuuulll!" 

Glyde laughed lazily. "Oh, I've so wanted to pay back Barrel and Dantz for what they did to me last time! Get us in closer, helm! Let's take this one nice and slow. I want to savor every second of it!" Glyde started doing chair-ups from his seat to work his triceps, then decided that might be better saved for a later occasion. "Tell you what: let's try something different!" 

The fabulously-dressed sky pirate leapt up and sauntered in closely behind the helmsman. "_Ramming speed!_" he ordered.

* * *

NEXT TIME: Destroy the _I.A.S. Glyde_! (Act Two)   
  



	31. Destroy the IAS Glyde! Act II

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 31:  
Destroy the _I.A.S. Glyde_! (Act II) 

* * *

Roll knew that she needed to coax more speed out of the engines, but they weren't cooperating. "Grandpa!" she shouted into the intercom. "We need more power!" 

_Boom!_ Another torpedo slammed into the Flutter's hull. She had to pay more attention to business! All the others were counting on her. She cranked the steering wheel to the right, narrowly avoiding yet another projectile. 

"_She's already giving all she's got, Roll_," said Barrel through the speaker. "_The engine's running at almost peak efficiency. There's not much more I can do for you, but I'll try_." 

Roll growled as she turned the Flutter in the opposite direction. Through the hatch, she could hear Dantz and Quackard trying to hold off the projectiles with their hand weapons. Dantz was a doofus, but even though Roll didn't want anything to do with the Digger right now, she still didn't want him to get killed by a torpedo blast. Maybe just mildly injured. 

Suddenly, the sounds of fire from above her stopped. It was unlikely that both of the ship's defenders had run out of ammunition at the same time, so Roll assumed that the barrage against the Flutter had ceased, at least for the moment. Now was their chance to get away! Roll tried to push the throttle past the limit, keeping pressure on it as the Flutter continued forward. 

The quiet didn't last very long. Roll slipped off her feet as a jarring tremor ran through the Flutter. She pushed herself back to her feet, rubbing her sore posterior as she tried to determine what exactly had occurred. Bringing the microphone to her mouth, she asked, "Grandpa, was that the engine acting up? What happened?" 

"_It wasn't the engine, Roll,_" came Barrel's reassurance. "_We're doing fine down here---I even got the efficiency ratio up a bit. Something must have hit us._" 

"Yeah, the rudder seems to be sticking quite a bit. I'm going to go check it out," Roll said, locking the wheel in place with her trusty autopilot: a black iron crowbar. The girl made sure the steering wheel was secured, then tentatively stepped into the Flutter's main corridor. Almost immediately Roll saw what had caused the great noise she had heard. A long, metallic object was protruding through the side wall of the Flutter. The object had ended in a point, and was painted a glossy black. Had a torpedo or larger missile impacted with the Flutter's armor and failed to explode. "That's one heck of a big torpedo," Roll said as a small, circular hole in the object opened up, and three Birdbots hopped out. 

"Errerrrh! This is a robbery, in case you couldn't tell," said one of them, pointing an gun at the girl. "Get your hands up, keh!" 

Roll complied as a tall, svelte figure who was dressed rather sharply tumbled out of the object, which Roll now recognized as the nose of the opposing airship. Of course, once she saw the face of the intruder, she was much less surprised by the attack itself. "Glyde!" she accused. "What are you doing here?" 

"My dear young Miss Caskett," Glyde said smoothly, flouncing over to where the Birdbots were holding Roll prisoner, "such a delight to see you again!" The tall pirate ran a gloved finger down Roll's cheek. "And you're maturing into such a lovely young woman, too." Roll tried not to shiver as Glyde's lips moved closer and closer to her, stopping just short of her ear, as close as he could get without actually touching her. "I'm very, very impressed," he whispered. 

"W-what do you want?" Roll stuttered, feeling a strong tingle near where Glyde was not quite touching her. 

Glyde gently brushed back a lock of hair, leaving her ear fully exposed to him. Then, he gently patted her red cap. "Keep it under your hat, but we're actually after your..." he paused for suspense. "Big refractor." 

"What?" said Roll, pushing the pirate away from her. "That's it?! Hold on a second." Roll darted back into the cockpit, pulled the blue refractor out of Dantz's bag, and carried it back to the pirates. As Glyde glared at the Birdbots who were supposed to have been holding her prisoner, Roll held out the large item. "Here it is. You can _have_ it. Just get out of here, okay?" 

Glyde held out his hands for the refractor, amazed at the ease of the operation. "Thank you," he said, bewildered. 

At that instant, Dantz burst through the Flutter's front door, his Dantz Blaster aglow with energy. "All right, nobody move!" He stopped as he saw Roll simply handing over the large, blue refractor he'd just gone to all that trouble to obtain from the Forgotten Ruins. "What's going on in here?"

* * *

Dantz and Quackard had braced themselves against the ship's railing when they saw that the _I.A.S. Glyde_ was going to ram the Flutter. The Birdbot nearly fell off the deck at impact, but Dantz had managed to catch Quackard's right leg as he went airborne. 

"Too bad I can't fly, keh-keh!" said the Birdbot as he hung upside down in Dantz's grasp. "That would really come in handy right now." 

"Yeah," Dantz agreed, grabbing the latch on the door that led down to the bridge. "Let's go on in and see what---huh? It's stuck!" Apparently, the shock of Glyde's ship crashing into the Flutter had warped the doorframe enough to seal it completely shut. "We can't get in this way." Dantz looked over the side of the ship. "I think if we slide down onto the nose of their ship then we might be able to get in the front door. What do you think?" 

Quackard had no objections, so the two slid onto the nose of the _I.A.S. Glyde_. As Dantz prepared himself for a flying leap to the Flutter's main entrance, the Birdbot quacked noisily. "I've gotta go get something," said the Birdbot, dashing up the _I.A.S. Glyde_'s hull. By this time, Dantz had already made his jump, arms flailing. The Digger latched onto the door's handle, unsealed it, and swung inside. 

"All right, nobody move!" He entered the Flutter's hallway just in time to see Roll handing over his refractor to Glyde. Just giving it to him! "What's going on in here?" 

Glyde looked very nervous for someone who clearly had the upper hand. "I, uh, we were just..." 

"He's taking the refractor and leaving!" Roll shouted. "Do you have a problem with that?!" 

"Yes, I have a problem with that! It's my refractor, I got it fair and square!" 

Roll shoved the refractor into Glyde's grip, then placed her hands accusingly on her hips. "You must not have realized how valuable and important that refractor was, or you would have kept it close to you! But you just thought it would always be there, and took it for granted, and now you've lost it for good!" 

"What are you talking about?" demanded Dantz. "You gave it to pirates! I didn't lose it!" 

"You are such a _doofus_ sometimes!" 

Glyde and the Birdbots took advantage of this delicate moment to flee the scene of their crime. Glyde normally would have looted the Flutter for all it was worth, but this particular job had gone so quickly and easily that it seemed a shame to complicate it. One by one, the Birdbots and their leader hopped back into the hatch, the last one sealing it shut. 

"You gave my refractor to Glyde! What other way is there of looking at it?" 

"Try to read between the lines, if your head isn't too thick! You lost something because you didn't realize how much you loved---" Roll's next words were drowned out as the _I.A.S. Glyde_'s engines roared and the skyship's giant nose withdrew from the Flutter's hull. Roll's mouth was still moving, despite the deafening noise. "---and I'm not going to end up as some shriveled old hag because I waited too long!" She strode into her room and slammed the door, ignoring the gaping hole in the wall of the Flutter. 

"I don't know what her problem is," Dantz admitted, staring at a lone Birdbot Glyde seemed to have left behind. "Are you lost or something?" 

"_Waaaak_! What do I have to do, paint a huge 'Q' on my chest so you'll know which one I am?" 

"Yeah, that wouldn't hurt." Dantz ignored Quackard's mild tantrum and went back to the bridge. As he took control of the helm, he asked the Birdbot, "Would you look take the chart and find a good place for us to land? I think we should get the wall repaired as soon as we can." 

"What an ingenious idea," said Quackard, picking up the map near the navigation console. 

"Hey, Quackard," called Dantz as he tossed the Roll's crowbar aside, "what were you doing on the pirate ship, anyway?" 

"Oh, I destroyed the _I.A.S. Glyde_," the Birdbot said nonchalantly. "I went to their engine room and scratched 'Quackard Rulez' into their main refractor. Errrerrrgg! It's equivalent to setting a timed explosive. In fact, I think the refractor will shatter right about---" 

Dantz shielded his eyes as a massive detonation went off in the distance. Even at his current relative position, Dantz could feel the pressure as the _I.A.S. Glyde's_ power reactors went critical, the initial explosion setting up a chain that would destroy the entire ship. Compared to Glyde, Dantz and the others had gotten out cheaply. Well, he still had his looming emotional problems to deal with, but those would have been there in either case. 

"Keh-keh! I found an island for us to touch down on. It's about fifty miles to the west." 

"What's it called?" 

Quackard checked the chart again. "Kattleox."

* * *

Glyde coughed as he climbed onto the floating Enarban Fell, one of the few pieces of technology which had survived his skyship's destruction. "Good thing I installed the floatation devices into this thing," he said to the Birdbots dog-paddling, or more accurately, bird-paddling in the ocean. "Did you save all the big refractors?" 

"Keh-keh, sir!" said one of the Birdbots. "We have the two large refractors we've acquired, plus the Iscreme Cone. All of the refractors involved in the running the ship were lost, I'm sorry to say..." 

"That's all right," Glyde said, although he wished he could get those pesky bomb stains out of his clothes. "We'll land at the closest island, steal some refractors, and be right back in business in no time!" He couldn't help himself. Glyde laughed in time with his Birdbots' squawks, pitying the poor unsuspecting fools who inhabited the next island.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, we're over 30 chapters now, and there's enough words in this story to make a 150 page book! How about that? Maybe the destruction of the _I.A.S. Glyde_ wasn't quite as spectacular as you might have hoped, but I thought it was appropriate. What about that scene with Glyde and Roll? Could it be Glyde likes both oysters AND clams? Naw, couldn't be! Fifty points if you can tell me where that "oysters, clams" reference comes from! **

By the way, just something to share---one of my favorite lines from Gremlins 2, from the cooking show scene (Microwaving with Marge): 

MARGE: Look what they're doing! They're putting utensils in the microwave! You can't do _that_! 

Ha, ha! That's hilarious!   
NEXT TIME: Why not Kattleox?   
  



	32. Why Not Kattleox?

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 32:  
Why Not Kattleox? 

* * *

"There has to something better to do than this," MegaMan whined, sitting cross-legged on the grassy hill. "This may be the most boring job I've ever had in my entire life." 

"It _is_ kind of boring," said Number Ten, dutifully standing watch over the parked Drache, "but Miss Tron told us not to move from this spot until she came back, so we can't go anywhere else!" 

MegaMan sighed. He could have offered to play paper-rock-scissors with the rigid Servbot, but that would have have been pointless, as even after he'd finally conveyed to the Servbots how the game was played, they still could not play it because of their clamp-like hands. They'd come to this new island, which was reputed to have untold amounts of treasure, and all he was doing was watching a Drache! 

"Kattleox," he mumbled grumpily. "What kind of name is that for an island?" 

"Ummmm...a weird one?" ventured Ten, not recognizing the rhetorical nature of the question. 

"Urrrrggh!" MegaMan grunted as he stood up. The boy began pacing the ground near the Drache. Why had he even bothered to put his armor on, anyway? True, Tron had been nice enough to re-size Teisel's old olive-colored suit properly for MegaMan. She had even replaced the battery in his Arm Cannon, and tuned it up a little too (which was a good thing, because she said it looked like the weapon was over a hundred and fifty years old!). Those were the nicest things she'd done for (or to) MegaMan in the last few weeks, however. 

Teisel and the others had decided it would be too dangerous to explore the Garrdan Ruins after making such a bad impression on the island's royal family. Tron had been all for destroying the castle and violently overthrowing Garrdan Island's government, but unfortunately, with the destruction of the Gustaff, there was not nearly enough materiel aboard the Gesellschaft to consider an assault. Teisel had also thrown Tron's failed experiment overboard, fully intending she assume that it had been lost in the battle, although he'd privately told MegaMan later that if she asked, he would tell her the truth. Any beating was worth being rid of the clunky, unresponsive frame. 

Next, the Bonnes had decided to scout out Kattleox, due to many rumors of the stupidly large amounts of treasure held within its many Ruins. Supposedly, the island was covered in them, both above and below the ground level. MegaMan was excited, as he was sure Teisel would split the group into teams to explore different areas of the island. Instead, he'd been told that they'd first have to figure out the local conditions and laws, and probably, have to break them. Tron told him sharply one morning that they'd probably have to hold the island hostage; otherwise they would never break their inflexible customs. 

"I heard they don't let any people Dig in some of their Ruins," Tron had said. 

"That's dumb," MegaMan replied. 

"It's great news for us!" said Tron as if _he_ were the one who was dumb. "That means all the loot will still be inside!" 

So he'd been included on the first landing party, possibly because he looked slightly less suspicious than Teisel or Bon, but all he was doing was guarding the car! At least figuratively. Tron had barked orders to the fact that she and three of the Servbots were going into the city to have a look around, and that he and Number Ten had better stay here, or else. He had complained but stayed put. Still, even Tron had to realize that MegaMan had a much firmer grasp on reality than any Servbot! He would probably also be less conspicuous walking around the town. 

"She did this just to tick me off," he told Number Ten. 

"I'm sorry?" said Ten, looking confused. 

"Nothing," MegaMan said. "Forget it." 

This was all Tron's fault. If she had been able to handle things like a mature person, maybe they would have been getting along during the past month, but she'd purposely been avoiding him. On those occasions when Tron and MegaMan were forced by happenstance, she would give him the silent treatment until he walked away, muttering incoherently. Every now and then, Tron would, in fact, deign to speak to him, but only in an imperious manner which required, nay, demanded, no backtalk. 

MegaMan forced himself to admit that he had not improved the situation at all by dropping hints to Number Thirty-Six that Tron liked to be serenaded every night promptly at two in the morning. Still, the sight of her, dressed in her nightgown, her hair nearly electrically frizzy, demanding that the painful rendition of "Gold City Moon" be halted _immediately_, or Number Thirty-Six was going to find himself running the obstacle course tomorrow morning, was immensely funny to the boy, who had been feeling a bit rejected. When she had found out, she'd let him have it physically as well as verbally, as might have been expected, but he bore the reproach with dignity and managed not to laugh out loud once. 

MegaMan's attentions were brought off of his...er, romantic troubles as a huge yellow blur flew dangerously close to him. The skyship, for that was what it was, scraped its bottom across the outer wall of Kattleox City, breaking a few chunks of ancient concrete free. MegaMan had to duck to prevent a particularly large chunk from colliding with his head. Number Ten shrieked and ran into the Drache for protection. The wobbly skyship sank slowly, sailing under MegaMan's line of vision, although he guessed from the sounds that followed that it had either crashed or landed very, very poorly. 

"Maybe we should go check it out?" he suggested to Number Ten. 

"Nope," said the Servbot. "Miss Tron said to wait riiight here." 

"Okay, but what if someone's hurt over there? They could need help." 

Ten shook his head. "No, we've got to follow our orders. Miss Tron will get really mad if we don't." 

MegaMan was all set to try another argument when a gaggle of police cars zoomed out of the city gates, sirens blaring. MegaMan watched as the tri-colored lights flashed by him, quickly moving further and further towards the where he had last seen the ship. 

"See?" said Number Ten. "The police have it all handled." 

"I thought the police here were stupid and inept. That's what Tron said." 

"Ummm...I think she said she _hoped_ the police here were stupid and inept. That would make things easier for us." 

"Oh." Even if the police were fairly bad at their jobs, they still would probably be able to give whoever was involved with the crash all the help they needed. Especially if there were six or seven cruisers out at the scene. These, however, were facts that did MegaMan absolutely no good whatsoever. 

"I don't care, anymore," he said, giving the Drache a light punch. "I'm going into town no matter what she says." MegaMan turned his back on Ten and jogged towards the city entrance. 

"I sure hope he doesn't end up in the Torture Room," Number Ten lamented.

* * *

NEXT TIME: What a Nice Boy   
  



	33. What A Nice Boy

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 33:  
What a Nice Boy 

* * *

"Where are you going?" Dantz asked loudly as Roll hopped out of the Flutter. The Digger stopped at the large hole in the ship's side, calling after the girl. "We should stick together!" 

"Shut up!" Roll called back. "I'll be in town! Don't come after me!" 

"Roll!..." Dantz shouted, following after her but, failing to remember that he was several feet above the ground, he stumbled out of the gap in the Flutter's hull and tumbled to the grass-covered ground. This particular landing was so painful that it made his earlier one---piloting down the Flutter after impacting with one of the city walls---look genius by comparison. Dantz rubbed his head where he had bumped it. He was still wearing his Digger's armor, but the helmet had fallen off during his fall. 

As Dantz was scanning the ground around him to find it, he heard police sirens off in the distance. What was Roll's problem now? She had just given that blue refractor to Glyde like it had been nothing. Nothing at all! As much as Dantz wanted to, he probably couldn't blame Glyde for Roll's actions. Dantz had gotten to his feet and had begun dusting himself off as the police cars approached the Flutter. He stood stock still. 

"Is everyone okay?" asked a big man in a trenchcoat. He had a prominent mustache and wore a fedora. "Is there anything we can do for you? Anyone requiring medical assistance? We have a very good hospital in town, you know." 

"Oh, no!" Dantz cried, hopping back into the Flutter. "Barrel, Barrel, help! The police are here! Don't let them take me in!" 

"Settle down," Barrel said, putting a calming hand on Dantz's shoulder. The old Digger was still clad in a mauve bathrobe, as he had been unable to find a few moments to change during the Flutter's recent ordeal. "I'll handle this. You stay right here, got it?" 

Dantz nodded weakly, hiding behind the edge of the rip in the Flutter's side. There was no way he was going to jail again. He'd shoot his way out if he had to! 

Barrel climbed down the Flutter's ladder, no doubt unwilling to give his old bones the jolt of simply jumping out. He lifted the bathrobe so that the hem would not scrape the grass, waving at the police officers. "Sorry about that," he called to the police. "My young friend had a...bad experience recently with the police. On a different island, of course." 

"That's too bad," sympathized the plainclothes policeman. 

"We want to apologize for crashing into your city wall back there," said Barrel. "As you can see, we've recently been attacked by pirates." Dantz noticed that Barrel was stretching the truth slightly. The crash had merely been a result of Dantz's substandard flying skills---Roll's fault, because she refused to come out of her room---and not in any way related to Glyde's attack on the Flutter. Still, Dantz silently applauded the old man for trying to keep them both out of prison! 

"As long as everyone's all right," said the policeman. "I'm Burris, Chief Inspector of the Kattleox Island Police, by the way." 

"A pleasure," Barrel said. "I'm Barrel Casket, and the young man you so recently met was Dantz the Digger. You may have seen my granddaughter Roll fleeing into town just a few minutes ago---a silly family matter, I assure you, and nothing that you need concern yourselves about." Dantz flinched. He'd hoped Barrel had not realized the reason for Roll's flight. 

"Of course," agreed the Inspector. "Mr. Caskett, one of your party will need to accompany me to the city's administrative district, where you can apply for your immigration permits. You'll all need ID cards while you're staying here." 

"That seems kind of...obsessive," Barrel said. 

"Yes, well, there are a lot of Ruins on Kattleox Island, and a lot of Ruins means a lot of treasure. A lot of treasure means---" 

"---a lot of pirates, yes, I see." 

"We like to keep things organized around here. Anyway, while you're signing up for your permits, I'm sure Mayor Davis will be pleased to make your acquaintance. She's a Digger from way back, you see---" 

"That's not _Amelia_ Davis, is it?" Barrel interrupted. 

"Why, yes." 

"Hah!" Barrel laughed. "I used to be her professor, back when I was teaching at the University. I can't wait to see her. Dantz!" he called back to the Flutter. "I'm going into town for a few hours. I'll be back by sundown! You wait here and guard the ship, okay?" Dantz saw Barrel get into one of the awaiting police cruisers, which then sped back towards the city. 

Now Barrel was being hauled off to prison! Dantz didn't care what kind of lies that Inspector guy was spinning, he knew they were just a ruse to get their hands on the ones who'd wrecked their wall. He had to figure a way to bust Barrel out of his captivity. Some way... 

"Eerrrk!" squawked Quackard, as he exited the Flutter's bathroom and climbed up the ladder. "What was that all about?" 

"Barrel just went to jail," said Dantz. 

"Not again---keh-keh!"

* * *

Glyde panted as he and the Birdbots attempted to push the Enarban Fell up the beach. Once it got past the wet sand, its treads would be able to move it, but for the next hundred feet or so, it was all muscle power. The tall pirate braced his back against the heavy metal assault vehicle, and began pushing with his legs. It budged another inch. This was hot, sweaty work, and he _hated_ bathing in seawater. He needed a nice, classy, hotel, complete with hot tub, thank you very much. 

"One, two, _keh_!" hollered the Birdbot keeping time on top of the Enarban Fell. Glyde would have been doing this himself, but his human strength was so much greater than the Birdbots' even he had to admit it was a bad idea not to. "One, two, _keh_!" 

The Birdbot Glyde had sent to scout their new environs ran bobblingly back. "Errh-errh! I found a town, sir! We seem to have landed on Kattleox Island." 

"Excellent," grunted Glyde as he and the others heaved against the Enarban Fell once again. Another two inches this time. "There are several unexplored Ruins on this island. Their refractors will be ripe for our plucking!" Glyde's voice lost focus as he threw himself against the Fell once more. "Once we get this darned thing out of the water, that is..." He couldn't _wait_ to turn on those jets in the tub and feel them massaging his body. 

"Put your back joists into it!" hollered the time-keeping Birdbot through his megaphone. "One, two, _keh_!" 

Glyde groaned as he thrust against the weapon again, then wiped some sweat off his brow. "By the way," he asked the scout, "did you happen to notice any four-star hotels while you were in town?" All of the Birdbots began squawking up enthusiastically. "Not for you all, just for me!" Their grumbling was a bit quieter than the earlier noise had been.

* * *

Roll was glad to be away from Dantz, that was for certain, but as her feet led her closer to Kattleox City, she found herself growing apprehensive. She really didn't know anything about this town, or anyone who lived here. Maybe she should just go back to the Flutter. 

And to Dantz. Roll howled as she thought of her doofus Digger. Dantz could go jump off a cliff for all she cared! If he could go on all those Digs without her, then she could definitely go into a strange town by herself. Judging from all the police cars that had just driven by her, the island was likely a very secure place. She found her worries lessen even more as she passed by a small, domed entrance to what was probably some Ruins just sitting there, wide open, with no one to guard it. Obviously, this was a safe place. 

Roll noticed some sort of weird-looking kid standing next to a flying vehicle as she neared the city gate. Certainly, if the island was safe enough for a child to stand alone, unattended, it would be safe enough for her, yes? Roll nodded at the policeman standing watch at the gate. "Remember, you can only enter the market, unless you have an ID card," he told her. 

"Oh, she said as she entered the city. "Okay." 

The market was, to Roll's surprise, a totally enclosed area. The ceiling was high, about as tall as the Flutter, all together, and made of the same substance of which the rest of the city's enclosure seemed to be constructed. Several banners hung from the ceiling, each marked with the word "Apple," and a small representation of the fruit. Roll dodged past a couple of kids no more than a few years younger than she was ran directly through her path. "Get it, Jim!" one of them hollered as another one kicked an empty tin can. 

Roll ducked into an electronics shop, one of the first in the shopping arcade. The selection wasn't bad, and she noticed the climate control system had set the temperature very cool, much cooler than in the outside mall. She peered around at the TVs, radios, VCRs, and various other items on the store's shelves. Some things were newer models than what she had on the Flutter, but nothing was a good enough deal to consider upgrading. Not yet, at least. 

As Roll exited the electronics dealer's store, she smelled the wafting odor of fresh-baked bread. Yes, indeeed, just down the way was a bakery! She followed her nose, placing her hands on the display glass which showed the bakery's fare. It smelled simply wonderful. The girl ordered a fresh cinnamon roll, and set out to explore the rest of the market while munching on it. 

There was a junk store---she'd have to check it out later. A look to her left showed an interesting boutique she might also want to have a look in. Then again, who did she have to impress with fancy outfits? Not Dantz, that much was for certain. 

Roll popped another piece of the cinnamon roll---hmm, that wasn't really funny, was it?---into her mouth, she was almost hit by one of the playing children again. Then, seeing a flash of an orange shirt, she was knocked forward, scraping her knees on the ground as she fell. Her baked treat was lost, flung out of her grasp. 

"Hey!" she called out accusingly. "You should be more careful!" Now she'd lost her cinnamon roll, her knees were probably bleeding, and she looked like a moron just laying here on the ground--- 

"Are you all right?" asked a kind voice from beside her. A gloved hand was offered in assistance. Roll grasped it, and it lifted her back onto her feet. 

He was pretty short, only an inch or two taller than she was, and he couldn't have been much older---if he was older at all. He had a friendly face, and wore a olive green suit of Digger's armor that looked a bit old and mismatched. His hair was brown, and hung atop his head in loose-fitting spikes, except for a small white lock above his left eye, a patch which set off the green of his eyes. 

What a nice boy, thought Roll.

* * *

NEXT TIME: What a Nice Girl   
  



	34. What A Nice Girl

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 34:  
What a Nice Girl 

* * *

"I'm Roll," said the blond, blue-eyed girl in the red hat as MegaMan helped her to her feet. 

By this point, MegaMan had become somewhat reluctant to reveal his name to strangers, due to their inevitable questions. "It's nice to meet you, Roll," he said somewhat evasively. "Are you hurt at all?" 

"No," she said, dusting herself off a bit. "I think I'm okay." She raised her legs, one by one, and inspected her kneecaps. "No scratches. That's great!" Then, she looked MegaMan over. "You're a Digger, aren't you?" 

MegaMan shrugged. "Sort of." That was basically true, in that he had explored ruins before, but he really hadn't done enough to consider himself a professional Digger. "Are you from around here?" 

"No," said Roll, "our ship just...kind of crashed on this island a little bit ago. The guy who was driving, he's a real doofus---" 

"I saw that!" MegaMan said quickly. "That was your ship? It flew right into the city wall!" 

Roll looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, well..." 

MegaMan didn't want to make the girl uncomfortable, so he changed the subject. "I tried to get in the city, earlier, but the guard says I can't get in without a some sort of identification." 

"Yeah," said Roll, "that's what I heard, too." 

For some reason, MegaMan found he had a profound need to show off. "I'll bet I can get us in. Wanna try?" 

"Okay," she said, grinning. MegaMan suddenly began to feel a little dizzy. Also, something seemed familiar about this girl. 

"Follow my lead," he said, jogging up to the market's inner door. "Excuse me, sir?" he said to the guard. Without waiting for the man's response, he continued. "I know, we need identification cards to get in the city, right? Our father's in there, getting our ID cards right now, but he forgot our passports." As MegaMan flashed a couple of spurious documents (in reality Teisel and Number Twenty-Eight's membership cards for _Mega Man's Buster Battalion_ (he was holding them for safekeeping in case Tron found out that the _second_ time Number Thirty-Six had serenaded her, it was their idea and not his)), he could see that Roll was altering her expression to match his own look of desperate concern. Obviously, this was a clever girl. Before the guard could interject anything, MegaMan said, "Without the passports, he can't prove who we are, and so we can't get our ID cards, can we? So you have to let us in, otherwise he won't be able to---" 

"Okay, okay, go on in." Evidently MegaMan's adopted tone of urgency had acheived its desired effect. He and Roll slipped through the small door, gaining access to the whole of Kattleox City. 

It was not small, but it was far more compact than most of the other cities MegaMan had visited. Due to the constrictive walls that surrounded the city, any construction had to be carefully planned out. This meant the buildings, for the most part, were rigidly fit together, with some of them even being face-up against another one, or even two. Considering this, MegaMan was impressed with the amount of grass and space the downtown area had. 

While there was traffic on the streets, it was very light since nearly everything in the city was within walking distance from everything else. Roll spotted something to her liking and, latching on to MegaMan's hand, dragged him over to a street vendor. 

"Two hot dogs, please," she ordered. Turning to MegaMan, she added, "I only had two bites of my cinnamon roll before I dropped it, so I'm still a little hungry. Make mine with everything," she said to the hot dog seller. 

"Um," MegaMan said. Tron didn't trust him with any spending cash, so there was no way he could afford a hot dog. "I don't have any money..." 

The vendor handed Roll her hot dog and paused. He obviously wasn't going to get a hot dog ready for someone who wasn't paying for it. 

"It's on me," Roll said, flashing her addictive grin at MegaMan. "Make his with everything, too." 

The vendor nodded and prepared MegaMan's hot dog, making it identical to the one Roll had received and was now eyeing hungrily. MegaMan took it as the girl handed the hot dog seller a couple of small refractors. "Thank you!" 

As MegaMan took his own hot dog, he realized that Roll had been waiting for him to be served before she started eating. This amazed him. When he had lived on the _Blue Barnacle_, he had been the cook, and therefore, expected to eat last, and oftentimes, by himself. On the Gesellschaft, everyone just served themselves and started shoveling food in as fast as possible. Someone actually delaying her own meal until he was ready to eat was so outside his realm of experience that he forgot to start eating. He just stood there with his mouth hanging open. 

"Don't worry, it's good," Roll assured him, evidently taking his hesitation as trepidation at trying a new food. "Haven't you ever had one before?" 

"Oh!" MegaMan said, and, not wanting to seem impolite, he took a bite. Roll followed his example, but he was so busy analyzing the contents of his mouth that he was only vaguely aware of that. He had, in fact, eaten hot dogs before, but never with so many toppings. Three different kinds of relish exploded in his mouth, at once tasting sweet, sour, and salty. The crisp onions were mild enough not to be oppressive, and the crunchy little fried things---he wasn't even sure what those were---added extra texture. He thought he might have detected a hint of crushed tomato, but that was probably from one of the different varieties of relish. The sausage, he realized almost as an afterthought, was also quite spicy and very tasty. 

"Wow!" he said. "This is amazing!" 

"Yeah," Roll said between bites. "This is really good stuff. Sometimes you take a chance on those hot dog stands, but usually it turns out pretty good." She waited a moment, then asked, "This is just one part of the city, I think. You want to see what else there is?" 

He nodded. Roll led MegaMan through another gate, on the opposite side of the first. He could have sworn there was something familiar about Roll---like he was supposed to know her, or something. Still, what he did know about her he liked, he thought as they entered another section of the town. She'd bought him a hot dog and hadn't even yelled at him once, yet! What a nice girl she was.

* * *

Tron tried not to groan with impatience as she walked around Kattleox Island's administrative district. She had scored herself an island ID card, with a false name, of course, but one that would work properly nonetheless. Now she could walk freely around the city, but why would she want to? There was nothing particularly worth seeing around this boring burg, even if the city had been constructed around some ancient Ruins that were standing above ground. 

Tron led her three Servbots to the police station. All Servbots were properly identified now as "Engelbert Hossenfeffer," a name which Tron had randomly selected for all of her little creations. Apparently no one at the island's immigration office had a problem printing up forty ID cards for the "same" person. The police station was massive; Tron guessed it had over twelve separate floors. Laughing, she marked it down as another example of bureaucratic expediency. With a police station this size, almost half of the island's population must be employed inside. Judging by the size and stature of the other buildings in the area, the other half probably worked construction. 

"All right, listen up!" The Servbots snapped to attention. "I'm going in here, but I don't want you to follow me. You guys go look around the town, okay? Go check out the bank, or something. Meet me at the library in an hour! And don't do anything stupid!" 

"Yes, Miss Tron!" The Servbots walked walked away from police headquarters in single file. 

Walking into the structure revealed something else to Tron: very few officers were on duty at any given time. That boded well for the Bonnes upcoming invasion of the island. Three clerks were ready to serve any incoming personages at a large desk in the lobby. "Umm, excuse me?" Tron asked one of them with a show of juvenile nervousness. "Is there any way I could look around the police station? I was, umm...thinking about maybe coming to work here when I grew up." 

Tron's estimation of the police clerk went down quite a bit---though it hadn't been all that high in the first place---when he cheerfully agreed to give her the grand tour. He hopped over the long desk and proceeded to show her around. "This is the lobby," he said unnecessarily, pointing to a bulletin board, "over there we keep the latest wanted posters, a copy of today's newspaper, and back there is the Chief Inspector's office. It's the only office on the first floor." He led her through another set of doors to an elevator. 

"This is the mail room," he said as they got off on the second floor. Tron nearly gasped at the sheer amount of postal traffic that was going through the open floor. Hundreds of letters and packages were stacked on top of each other, making it hard to see some areas of the mail room. Three or four people were dashing around the room with wheeled carts, putting pieces of mail into slots while plopping other pieces back into their carts. 

"How long does it take for the mail to be delivered to whoever it belongs to?" asked Tron, staring at the manic mail carriers. 

"Don't be silly," said the clerk, punching the next button on the elevator, "the mail never gets _delivered_. If we just wanted the mail to get wherever it's supposed to go, we'd only need two people to work in here for one shift, instead of the eighteen we currently employ." He chuckled for a bit. "Delivered," he said in disbelief. 

The rest of the police station's layout was equally ludicrous. The third floor was the fitness room, filled with exercise machines, barbells, and free weights that made the Gesellschaft's training room look pathetic in comparison. The next four floors were filled entirely with break rooms, each with four or five attendants to serve snacks and coffee to whoever was taking a break at any given time. "The break room employees have a strict schedule for their own breaks," explained the police clerk. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have anyone to attend THEM when they're on break." 

The eight, ninth, and tenth floors were actually filled with people at desks. Each floor used the same layout, but while it appeared that the employees were hard at work, Tron noticed that most of the office workers were whittling away their time playing solitaire or "BombSniffer," two games that were included with their computers' operating systems. 

The tenth floor was empty. "This floor is still a work in progress," said the clerk as he quickly pressed the next button. 

The eleventh floor was filled with file cabinets, with several employees dashing around filing and re-filing hard copies of case files. "Reports are the lifeblood of police work," explained the clerk. The whole process put Tron in mind of the mail carriers on the second floor, although there weren't any carts on this floor. 

Tron expectations were admittedly very low as the elevator chugged up to the top floor, but she was taken by surprise yet again. The doors opened to reveal a very plush, ornately furnished living area, complete with assorted pieces of _nouveaux-Reaver_ art that was so popular among the fad-susceptible upper class. "These are Chief Inspector Burris's living quarters," the clerk said. "He lives in the station so he'll be available twenty-four hours a day if he's needed." 

"Nice," Tron said simply as the elevator doors shut again. "So," she asked as the lift began its long journey back down to the lobby, "where's the jail?" 

"I'm sorry?" 

"The jail," Tron repeated. "You know, where you keep your criminals? Where is it?" 

The police clerk blinked a couple of times. "Oh, the jail! You know, it's never really come up before." 

"Are you saying that there aren't any holding cells in this building at all?" Tron could hardly believe it. 

"I guess not." The clerk actually sounded kind of surprised, himself. 

Tron had to work very hard to restrain herself on the rest of the elevator ride. She almost wanted to leap into a frenetic dance of joy. There wasn't even a _jail_ on the entire island! How had these people not been cleaned out before now? No matter---the family Bonne would take care of that, soon enough. After returning to the lobby, Tron walked quickly out the revolving door and ducked around the corner. Unable to practice her restraint any further, Tron found herself doing cartwheels as she thought of the simplicity of the job ahead. She couldn't wait to tell MegaMan and Teisel! 

Maybe she'd take MegaMan around the town before they returned to the Gesellschaft. Tron had been angry at him after his little joke with Number Thirty-Six, and even angrier after the second time, but maybe it was time to let it go. She'd also been acting really cranky whenever he was around, too, and that had been unfair. Maybe she just wasn't sure how to act with him, because he always made her so nervous. Tron's eyes brightened as she saw MegaMan entering the administrative district. He'd figured out how to get in the city on his own, hadn't he? That was her boy. He was smart, strong, and---Tron quickly jumped behind a tree. 

Who was that _hussy_ he was with?

* * *

NEXT TIME: Je Suis un Espion   
  



	35. Je Suis Un Espion

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 35:  
Je Suis un Espion 

* * *

Tron darted swiftly from tree to tree, trying to stealthily keep watch on MegaMan and the little blond tart that was walking with him. They were just talking to one another, shooting the breeze as they took in the sights of the city. What was MegaMan thinking, hanging around a girl like that? Her hair was tangly and ill-cared for, and her blue eyes were bovine in their acceptance, just staring at _Tron's_ boy. Her shoulders slumped a bit, like she was trying to puff out her chest, where she was a little...more developed than Tron's in certain places, even though she looked a little younger. She obviously came from peasant stock. 

The floozy was stuffing some sort of messy snack into her mouth. Her poor breeding was reflected by the way her jaws moved sloppily up and down while chewing the disgusting concoction; even a Servbot had better table manners than that! Never mind that MegaMan was eating one of the things, too. At least he looked cute while he was doing it. 

Now MegaMan was asking her some sort of question, but Tron was too far away to hear what it was. The girl answered him, pointing at the police station. Tron couldn't hear her, either. If MegaMan wanted to know about the police station, though, Tron was the one he should have been asking. She probably knew fifty times more about the police station than his cheaply-dressed companion. 

That puffy red hat looked _so_ gauche, Tron thought as she followed them closely, dodging behind a trash receptacle marked _Keep Kattleox Clean_. Now they were going back into the downtown area. She waited for the two to go through the gate, then padded her way there as well. Tron tapped her foot impatiently, waiting until she had judged enough time had passed, then she entered the gate herself. 

Tron thought as she entered downtown Kattleox City that she might have let too much time pass before continuing on, but she found MegaMan and the slutty girl fairly quickly. Once she caught up to him (and had stopped spying on him, of course), he was going to be in big trouble. Oooh, she'd let him have it! 

What were they doing now, going into the library? Tron found the city planning here to be quite predictable, and while she'd already checked the library and found it to be acceptably run, it hardly seemed to be an ideal place for a date. If MegaMan was even on a date, which for his sake he had better be hoping he wasn't! 

MegaMan and the floozy were still talking about something as they strolled up the steps to the library. Tron really wished she had brought one of her listening devices on this reconaissance mission with her, but who would have known she would need them so badly? 

Not only was MegaMan disobeying her orders, which as her servant he was technically obliged to follow, he was doing it all while keeping company with some street girl! Tron groaned loudly as the two disappeared into the library's entrance. She sneaked up to the library, and, realizing she couldn't possibly go in without being seen, she hopped onto one of the hedges outside the building, looking in through one of the windows. 

Now they were talking to the girl at the front desk---no, they were moving off and looking through the bookshelves, talking about something which she still couldn't hear. That _girl_ and MegaMan were totally absorbed in conversation now, and--oh, she turned away! Maybe she was leaving! No, MegaMan caught her by the shoulder and said something comforting---he was so good at doing that! Then she put both of her dirty little hands on his! 

"What are you doing?" asked a man's voice from behind her. "The entrance is over to your left." 

"Whoa!" Tron cried as she fell from the bush's fragile grasp. She brushed the leaves off herself and fixed a frosty glare on the stranger. "Mind your own business!" she snapped, climbing back up on the hedge. 

If that tease touched MegaMan again, Tron would _kill_ her!

* * *

Barrel Caskett, still clad in a mauve bathrobe, was looking in disbelief at the head-high stack of papers on the counter next to him. "I really have to fill all of these out to get ID cards for my family and me?" 

"Yes," said the Kattleox City Administrative Assistant. "In triplicate." 

Barrel looked longingly at the copy machine to the right of the City Hall counter. "I don't suppose..." 

"No photocopies accepted," said the desk attendant firmly, shoving the forms towards Barrel in a not-too-subtle hint. 

The old Digger sighed and brought the sheaf of paper over to the bench, where he sat and tried to fill out the forms as best he could. He could not maintain a high standard of neatness, as the city employees had neglected to provide a table at which to fill out said forms. He started grumbling out loud as he reached the third form. They seemed to all be asking the same questions over and over again. 

"Why does your government need to know whether I prefer crunchy peanut butter, or smooth?" Barrel asked out loud. 

"It doesn't," came a warm, familiar female voice from above him. 

"Can that be Amelia?" said Barrel, rising to his feet as his pretty blond student descended the City Hall staircase. "You've changed quite a bit, my girl." 

"Hardly a girl," said Amelia Davis, Mayor of Kattleox. She'd obviously aged a little bit---no one Barrel had known for twenty years or more had not---she'd cut her blond hair short, and started wearing skirts that were south of the knee, but her brown eyes still looked the same. 

"Yes," Barrel agreed. "What were you saying about the peanut butter?" 

Amelia laughed. "My government doesn't need to know what kind of peanut butter you like," she said. "It really doesn't need to know half of the things those questionnaires want to know." 

"Just as I thought," said Barrel. 

"I don't know if you've noticed, but basically all of the forms ask the exact same questions several times over. It's just that they are presented in a different order and with different wordings." 

Barrel snapped his fingers. "I KNEW it!" 

"Really, the only forms that matter are the first one and the last one," Amelia admitted. "The ones in between are there both to make sure the applicant is serious about wanting his ID card, and about keeping the island's populace employed." 

"What do you mean?" Barrel asked. 

"Our island is for all intents and purposes, a paradise," said Amelia, seating herself on the bench next to her old teacher. "The weather is calm, the food supply is plentiful, and basically, there's not a whole lot for the populace to do. That's why the city government has to be so large. Otherwise, there would be hardly any gainful sources of employment for Kattleox citizens. Seventy-five percent of our people either work at the police station, or in the Public Works Department. Of course, since we keep most of the Ruins closed..." 

Barrel rolled his eyes. "...you don't have a lot of people employed as Diggers." 

"Right, Professor Barrel. That's why I didn't come home until I was ready to retire from Digging. There's no money in it on this island." 

"Why is that? Why are all the Ruins sealed?" 

"There are a few that are open to the public, Barrel, but for the most part we keep them sealed." Amelia's eyes took on a new light as she began lecturing to her former professor on a subject with which she was well acquainted. "The larger Ruins on the island we call Sub-Gates, and the largest in the Main Gate. I don't know how much you've heard, but all of the ruins on Kattleox Island seem to be interconnected, including the above-ground ruins that we've used as our city walls. The Gates are the most dangerous Ruins of them all, so they have been locked securely, to be opened only on the authority of the mayor." 

"Which happens to be you, at the moment," said Barrel speculatively. Maybe he'd be able to get a permit for Dantz to do some seriously high-profit Digging during their stopover here. 

"Yes," Amelia said, "but don't get your hopes up. I'm not planning on releasing those locks unless I see that we've got a serious Digger on our hands, hopefully more than one, who will see the job through to the end. Also, there is the curse..." She let the phrase dangle tantalizingly. 

Barrel looked at Amelia sharply before indulging her. "A curse?" 

"Supposedly the Main Gate is cursed; if anyone should happen to open it and go to the bottom, the island will face its ultimate destruction." 

"That sounds...reasonable," Barrel said with barely detectable sarcasm. 

Amelia smiled at the old man. "Yes, well, I've found it's often easier to let people have their little superstitions rather than try to change old customs." 

Barrel wasn't really listening to his former student. He was busy trying to cook up an excuse for Dantz to go Digging in the Sub-Gates.

* * *

MegaMan wasn't certain why Roll had wanted him to go to the library with her, but it wasn't as if he really knew where else to go within the unfamiliar city. His new friend had all but carried him up the library steps and into the large building. "Is there any information on the Curse of Kattleox Island?" Roll asked the clerk. 

"That information is located to your right, in the Legends and Myths section," the woman told them. 

"Curse?" MegaMan wanted to know as they scanned the bookshelf. 

"I thought I heard someone outside mention it," Roll said, plucking a tome from the third row. "There's some sort of legend that...let's see..." Roll flipped through the book's pages. "It says here that every one hundred years, some sort of disaster is supposed to affect Kattleox Island. It doesn't say exactly what form the disaster takes, but in theory, it would kill every single person living here." Roll gasped and turned around. "That's horrible," she said, beginning to shiver. 

"It's okay." MegaMan squeezed Roll's shoulder. "Look, that's not going to happen. Everything will be all right, I promise." 

Roll put both her hands on his, and turned around, looking deeply into MegaMan's eyes. She leaned in, a little closer to him, and... 

"Ooof!" Some muffled crashing sounds came from outside. The boy and the girl turned to the clear, tall window, but could see nothing directly outside. 

"What was that?" asked MegaMan. 

"I don't know," admitted Roll. She shook her head as she let go of MegaMan, picked up the book, and continued reading. "You know, I can actually see Dantz Digging in the Ruins and setting off some ancient destruction device, killing everyone on the island. All a well-meaning accident, of course. He's such a doofus." 

"Who?" MegaMan heard some familiar-sounding yelling going on outside, but his attention was currently elsewhere. 

"Oh, he's my Digger." Roll's eyes flashed with a certain meanness. "I can't wait for you to meet him," she said with enthusiasm. She dropped the book, and latching on to MegaMan's hand, she pulled him back to the door and out of the library.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: What a tart that Roll is! By the way, the title of this part means: "I am a spy" in French, although I probably didn't spell it correctly because I don't actually speak French, err, I mean, Freedom. (uuuah) Hold on while I start beating my chest whilst also saluting the flag. **

A word about forms: I was always amazed at how useless and redundant the government of Kattleox was in the game. The citizens had to _fill out forms_ to evacute the island during the Bonnes' attack! Not to mention that the police were incapable of catching a single criminal, and even tried to arrest the Servbots for taking out a loan from the bank. Talk about your ineptitude! Anyway, that's why I kind of went over the top with the government's structure in the story. Thank you.   
NEXT TIME: What's Her Problem?   
  



	36. What's Her Problem?

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 36:  
What's Her Problem? 

* * *

"Eeep!" The small sound slipped out of Tron as she saw her MegaMan and that little strumpet start to emerge from the library. Tron dashed around the corner, tripping over a small blue-and-yellow obstruction in her path. Tron growled as she picked herself up out of the grass. "Watch where you're going, you---" 

"Oh, there you are, Miss Tron! You'll never guess what we did at the bank!" Number Sixteen looked incredibly proud of himself, even from Tron's less than ideal viewing position. He was holding a nondescript briefcase in his hand. 

"What are you three doing here?" Tron demanded as she began dusting herself off. 

"You told us to meet you here, Miss Tron," Number Three reminded her. 

MegaMan and that oafish girl might come around the corner any second. "Wait here a little longer, then, and if anyone asks, I was never here, got it?!" 

"Roger!" all three Servbots replied. 

Tron ran to the closest building, ducking behind a trash can to observe her quarry unnoticed. MegaMan and the floozy were just rounding the corner. Whew! She had made it. Luckily, this time she could finally hear what those two were talking about! 

"So, is this Dantz the one that was flying the ship when it hit the wall?" MegaMan asked. 

"That's right," said the girl. Even her _voice_ sounded cheap. "He just turned nineteen, he's pretty tall, and he really likes himself. A lot. He is a pretty good Digger, though." 

MegaMan swallowed. "But, are you and he---what I mean is, is he your---" 

"Oh, hello, Mister MegaMan, sir!" said Servbot Number Twenty-One, forestalling the answer to the question both Tron and MegaMan wanted to hear. "How are you doing?" 

MegaMan looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh, hello, Number Twenty-One. What are you guys doing here?" 

Tron was beginning to notice that the particular trash can which she was hiding behind had a singular fragance. In fact, it was beginning to smell as if someone had dumped ten pounds of old, rotten fish directly into the can without any liner or trash bag whatsoever. 

"Well," said Number Twenty-One, "we're waiting here for Miss Tr---" 

Number Sixteen clapped his free hand over his brother Servbot's mouth. "We're just hanging around," he said quickly. 

"That's right," said Number Three, whose stomach was beginning to growl. "Miss Tron wasn't just here talking to us, that's for sure!" 

Tron rubbed her head, which was beginning to ache. "Those idiots!" she mourned softly. 

"Um, okay," said MegaMan. "This is my new friend, Roll. Say hello to the Servbots!" 

The little cow grinned. "Oooooh! You guys are so _cute_!" She reached down to grip Number Three in a suffocating hug. This, Tron thought, was simply too much. She was already trying to muscle in on her territory with MegaMan, and now she was lavishing her affections on Tron's Servbots, too? And this trash can just smelled horrible! She had expected to get used to the odor as time went by, but it just seemed to be getting more and more pungent. 

Number Twenty-One seemed excited. "Guess what we did, Mister MegaMan, sir!" 

MegaMan spread his hands. "What?" 

"Well," began Twenty-One, "Miss Tron told us to check out the bank here in the city---" 

"---so we talked to one of the tellers there," continued Number Three, a little hoarsely due to the fact that Roll was still hugging him tightly and grinning. 

"And we got a loan for one million zenny so we could open our own restaurant!" finished Number Sixteen proudly, showing off the nondescript briefcase to MegaMan. 

"You did **_what_**?!" Tron demanded, stepping out from her concealment. "One million zenny?!! I should have known better than to let you go out on your own! When we get back to the Gesellscheft, all three of you are really gonna get it!" 

"Uh, M-Miss Tron," said Number Sixteen, pretending very poorly at being surprised to see her, "w-what are you doing here? I haven't seen you in the last fifteen minutes! I swear!" Even though he was in trouble, the overachieving Servbot was still trying his best to maintain the facade. 

"I don't care about that anymore!" Tron shouted. "What did you think you were doing, getting a loan for a million zenny? At what terms? Did you check the percentage rate?" 

Number Sixteen looked blankly at Tron. 'Ummmm..." 

Tron stomped her right foot. "Ooooh, how did the bank ever loan that much money to you!? I oughta knock all three of you into next week!" 

"Who are you?" asked the blond hussy, holding Number Three protectively. "Why are you being so mean to them? What are you, a monster?" The Servbot seemed to be enjoying himself despite the large amount of hot water he was currently in. 

"I'll deal with you later, you little tart!" Tron snapped. Then, turning her attention to Number Three, she threatened, "You'd better hope that you can just take the money back today or I'll have to---" 

"Stop it!" hollered Roll. "Just stop it! What is your problem?" 

"Aren't you a little too...heavy to be wearing that outfit?" Tron asked slyly, looking at Roll's bare midriff and tight shorts. "If I had your frame, I wouldn't be comfortable wearing clothes _that_ revealing until I'd lost, oh, fifteen or twenty pounds." 

This taunt made the cheap little number lose her temper, and she flung away Number Three, launching herself at Tron. Tron laughed as she caught the girl's arms. She was a little strong, it was true, but surely she didn't work out as much as Tron did! Still, the girl was really mad, and that gave her a certain strength. It was too bad that she couldn't control her temper like Tron. 

"Both of you, cut it out!" MegaMan called, interspersing himself between the combatants. "I think you're both overreacting. Tron, I'm sure the Servbots can pay back their loan if they need to. Roll, Tron doesn't really want to hurt them. She's just a little peeved, that's all." 

"Overreacting!?" Tron screamed at the same time Roll yelled, "A little PEEVED?!" Then each looked at the other. "Slut!" they both shouted. 

MegaMan had to use all of his massive might to hold the two apart. "Listen, you both need to take a time---" 

A huge black shadow draped itself across the library, the three buildings surrounding it, and, basically, over the entire southern half of the downtown area. The chugging of a powerful engine was heard as one of the ugliest, largest weapons any of the three had even seen climbed over the city wall. 

"---out," finished MegaMan as he, Tron, and Roll stared in fascination at the huge combat vehicle.

* * *

"I think something might be happening downtown, Dantz---errrerrrggh!" Quackard said as he and Dantz made their way toward the Kattleox Island police station. They heard a huge crash coming from the area of the city they had just left. 

"That's not important right now," Dantz said as they climbed the hill that led to the city's administrative district. "We've got to get Barrel out of jail so we can leave this crazy island. We'll pick up Roll on the way out, run back to the Flutter, and take off. We can do our repairs somewhere else." 

Quackard had heard Dantz's tale of how twenty police cruisers had driven up to the Flutter, then a group of black-uniformed officers had attacked the ship, dragging Barrel away in nothing but his bathrobe. Dantz had said the officers promised that the old Digger would be spending the rest of his life in the deepest, darkest corner of their prison for ramming his skyship into their city wall. The Birdbot wasn't sure whether Dantz was telling him all the facts correctly, though. 

Still, better safe than sorry, Quackard figured. He and Dantz had loaded up with weapons and made for the police building with all haste. Quackard only hoped they wouldn't be getting themselves into even more trouble. He saw Dantz heading for the ornately decorated building in the center of the upper level. 

"Keh! Hey, isn't that the police station over there?" He pointed to the large, tall, square building marked "Police" with several police cars parked around it. 

"No," said Dantz as though Quackard had just suggested the stupidest idea he'd ever heard. "There are two police officers in front of _this_ building; therefore it must be the police station." 

"Yeah, I don't think that that's true," Quackard said as the two warriors of justice neared the building's entrance. 

"Have a nice afternoon," one of the uniformed policemen said, tipping his hat as Dantz and Quackard burst through the double doors. Dantz turned around quickly, clocking the officer in the back of his head. The policeman collapsed, unconscious. Then, Dantz repeated the process with the other police officer guarding the door, who had just looked on ineffectively while his partner had been knocked out. 

"All right," Dantz said as he entered the building, pointing his Dantz Blaster threateningly, "where is Barrel Caskett? He'd better be released right away, or I'll have to---" 

"Dantz, what do you think you're doing?" 

Dantz's eyes widened. "Barrel! You're okay!" 

"Of course I'm okay, you dolt!" Barrel was sitting next to a pretty older lady on a bench in what Quackard had correctly assumed was not the police station at all. And of course, the old Digger was still wearing his mauve bathrobe. "Did you think they were going to torture me or something?" 

"Well," Dantz said, "yeah, sort of." 

"Amelia," said Barrel, "let me introduce Dantz. He's a bit of a doofus, but he's quite a good Digger." 

"Hey!" 

"Keh-keh!" Quackard squawked as a reminder of his presence. 

"And this is my good friend, Quackard." Quackard bowed to the woman gracefully. "He's a Birdbot," Barrel explained unnecessarily. "Boys, this is Mayor Amelia Davis." 

"Wow, the mayor?" said Dantz in disbelief. 

"You're a Digger, eh?" said Amelia. "You were obviously very determined, if you were going to attack City Hall to rescue Professor Barrel." 

"He thought we were attacking the police station---errerrrrlllh!" 

"Shut up!" Dantz told Quackard. 

Amelia looked thoughtful. "It's that type of determination I want to see in the eyes of the Digger who finally goes to explore the Sub-Gates..." The mayor's thought was interrupted by a noisy explosion coming from outside. 

"Mayor!" called a policeman, clearly not one of the ones Dantz had knocked out earlier, as he rushed into City Hall, "There's a huge robot downtown, and it looks like it may be attacking!" 

"Pirates?" Amelia said. 

"That's bad news," said Barrel. 

Dantz raised the Dantz Blaster in a heroic pose. "Maybe we should go check it out!"

* * *

"Hee hee!" Glyde cackled from the cockpit of the Enarban Fell as the war machine skittered over the ancient walls of Kattleox City. "Now that we've finally gotten the Enarban Fell out of the ocean, this island is OURS!" 

Birdbots were scattered around the inside and outside of the vehicle. Those that were in the Enarban Fell's interior were busying themselves with the minute-by-minute maintenance the giant mechanical conveyance would need to continue its operation, while the others had armed themselves with whatever weapons had been left from the _I.A.S. Glyde_'s fateful crash. 

"Give me all your valuables!" Glyde called through the public address system. "Maybe I won't destroy your _entire_ city if there's enough booty! Haaaa Hah!" 

"Sir, look at the screen---keh keh!" 

"Hm?" Glyde pulled his attention to the three figures huddled on the viewscreen. "Oh, my! Is that little Miss Tron Bonne? And the delightful Roll Caskett with her?" He peered a little more closely. That taller one wasn't a Servbot, it was... "Oh, and Teisel's cute friend, too! Looks like it's time for a little payback, my dears!" Glyde stood up, raising his fist dramatically. "Ready the Force Cannon!" 

"Keh-keh, sir!" answered a Birdbot affirmatively, pulling three switches, pushing two buttons, and turning one crank three-quarters of a complete circle. "Ready to fire!" 

"On my command," Glyde said, keeping the delicious tension going for a few more seconds. "And....FIRE!" 

The Birdbot pressed the firing stud, but instead of seeing a beautiful, bright, blue ray that would turn all of Glyde's enemies into squishy paste, the pirate heard a sputtering sound, then a crackling, and the all of the lights in the Enarban Fell's cockpit went dark. 

"What happened?!" Glyde asked angrily. 

"We've lost power, sir!" 

"I _know_ that, you moron! What _specifically_ happened?" 

Suddenly some of the display lights, including the Enarban Fell's viewscreen, flickered back to life. One of the Birdbots, after checking his readings, called out, "Sir, it looks like two of the anterior gyroscopic devices have---errrk---been flooded with seawater!" 

"Have the Birdbots outside get to work on repairing it," Glyde ordered. "In the meantime, can we move or attack?" 

"Ummm, keh! It would appear not." 

Glyde groaned. "So it looks like we're stuck here until---" 

"Sir, the viewscreen!" 

The tall pirate turned his attention to the screen, where a blond woman and a familiar-looking old Digger in a bathrobe were waving at him. "Hello, there, Glyde!" the old man called. 

Glyde picked up the public address microphone. "Why, if it isn't Barrel Casket!" Bluffing, he added, "Tell me why I shouldn't pound you into a pulp right now, old man!" 

"We have a proposition you might be interested in!" said the old Digger. 

"Really?" Glyde sounded interested, but the only thing he was actually interested in was buying time for the Birdbots to repair the Enarban Fell so he could get back to the business of laying waste to the town. "What is it?" 

"I assume you're interested in Digging in the closed-off Ruins on this island," said the blond woman. "Isn't that why you're attacking the city? So we'll grant you access to the Sub-Gates?" 

"Err...yes," said Glyde over the public address. Clicking it off, he spread his hands and cast an inquisitive glance at the Birdbots, who apparently also knew nothing of these particular Ruins. Glyde shrugged and got back on the PA speaker, lying through his teeth. "Looks like you've seen through my plans yet again, Barrel. Yes, I do want to Dig in these...um, Sub-Grates...I mean, Gates. What's it to you?" 

"We have a idea you might find interesting and lucrative," said the blond woman.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: After watching a bit of the "_Laff-a-Lympics_" marathon on Boomerang Network this weekend, I'd like to salute Hanna-Barbera for being the only major cartoon production company to make _fanfictions_ based on their own cartoons (_Laff-a-Lympics, Yogi's Ark, Wacky Races_). Nothing beats watching Shaggy from "Scooby-Doo" and Dirk Dastardly play tennis to settle their differences. Or how about Yogi Bear, Quickdraw McGraw, and Barney Rubble in a rocketship race to the moon? Why can't I get paid for having ideas like that? One thing I always wondered about was: if the badguys were able to get ahead of the other characters in order to set some trap or trick or something, why didn't they just _win the race_ instead of trying to cheat? I realize that had nothing to do with the story, by the way. **  
NEXT TIME: Teisel gets a Big Surprise   
  



	37. Teisel Gets a Big Surprise

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 37:  
Teisel Gets a Big Surprise 

* * *

The engines of the Gesellschaft were a faint hum in the background as Servbot Number Twenty-Eight finished sweeping the bridge. The Servbot emptied the last pile of dust into his waste receptacle, which he then put in the storage closet along with the broom. Twenty-Eight punched the elevator's call button, waiting impatiently for the lift to reach the topmost floor of the skyship. 

"About time!" he muttered as it arrived. Twenty-Eight walked in and pressed the button for the Residential Floor. The Servbot tapped his foot rapidly on the floor as the elevator whined its way down. As he exited the floor, he felt a fleeting wish that he still held his membership card for _Mega Man's Buster Battalion_, but of course he'd given it to the real MegaMan for safekeeping. 

Number Twenty-Eight knocked twice on the door. "Master Teisel, is it the appointed hour?" 

"Almost," came Teisel's muffled reply. "Come on in." 

Twenty-Eight opened the door to Teisel's room and confidently strode in, trying to look as manly as possible for the eldest Bonne. Teisel was already seated on his sofa, eyeing the clock with anticipation. Number Twenty-Eight hopped upward, struggling to pull himself onto the couch as well. "Oh, boy!" he said. "I really hope Bomb Man doesn't blow up the Monstropolis Sports Arena and Convention Center!" 

"Oh, he won't get away with that," Teisel assured him. "Our blueboy'll stop him in plenty of time. Or my name isn't Bonne!" 

"What does that have to do with it, Master Teisel?" 

Teisel coughed. "Um, er, or _his_ name isn't Mega Man!" 

"Right on!" agreed Twenty-Eight, attempting to flex his muscles. This was difficult, as he technically had none. 

"It's time," Teisel said dramatically, switching on the television with his remote control. A different scene awaited the two than the one they had been expecting. "What's this? Did they pre-empt our favorite show?" 

"I think it's a news update," supplied Number Twenty-Eight. 

_"And now, Mayor Amelia Davis of Kattleox Island_," said the announcer. 

A blond woman approached the podium in from of Kattleox City Hall. She cleared her throat and began speaking. "_Ahem. Rumors have flown throughout the city today that we might have been under pirate attack---_" 

Teisel laughed shortly. "Not yet, they're not!" 

"_---this is not the case. In fact, today begins a joyous era of celebration for Kattleox Island, as the myths surrounding our ancient network of Ruins will be put to rest. Allow me to introduce to you the leaders of our three intrepid teams of Diggers._" 

Teisel and Twenty-Eight watched the program with renewed interest. 

The woman introduced the first group of Diggers with a wave of her hand. "_Group One consists of the Casketts, Roll and Barrel, and the intrepid Dantz the Digger!_" Applaused thundered from the gathered citizens of Kattleox Island as the mayor introduced a teenage girl, an impressive-looking young man in Digger's armor, and an old man in a bathrobe. 

"_Our second team is made up of the internationally-renowned Glyde Wingstar and his army---er, team of specialist Birdbots!_" Glyde strutted in front of the woman, hamming it up in for the audience. Most of the Birdbots were hanging behind, and one seemed to be aligned closer with the Caskett family than with the tall, svelte pirate. 

"What is Glyde doing there?" Teisel demanded. "What's going on?" 

"_And, our third and final team is the Bonnes, treasure-hunters extraordinaire!_" The mayor of Kattleox stepped aside to let the crowd and television cameras catch their first glimpse of a glowering Tron, who pouted and looked witheringly at the audience. MegaMan, just to her side, seemed quite taken with his newfound celebrity, waving at both the audience and the camera, and flashing his most toothsome smile. Every now and then, he could be seen sneaking a glance at the Caskett team, though it was not clear why he was doing that. Three of the Servbots were doing backflips, somersaults, and cartwheels in the background, showing off while they had the spotlight. 

Teisel's voice reached new depths of incredulity. "Whaaaat?" He gaped at the television, his brain refusing to assimilate the information it was putting forth. "Just...what is Tron thinking? I told her to scout out the island's defenses to help prepare for our attack! Not to get involved in some...Digging contest! I know I put her in charge of this operation, but we want those Ruins all to ourselves!" 

"Yeah!" Number Twenty-Eight agreed, making a fist. 

Teisel was silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. "I've got it!" he shouted suddenly, surprising Number Twenty-Eight so much that the Servbot fell off the couch and had to work his way back up. "Tron must be trying to trick those other Diggers!" 

Twenty-Eight was preparing to strike another manly pose, but paused. "Huh?" 

"Yes, that's it!" Teisel agreed with himself. "Tron must be pulling the wool over everyone's eyes. She'd never voluntarily participate in some silly contest like this." Teisel laughed maniacally in relief. "She had me worried there, for a second, but my sister has really got it on the ball. She's probably planning for those other Diggers to do two-thirds of our work for us, then we'll swoop in and take it from them!" He laughed some more for good measure, with Number Twenty-Eight following his leader's example.

* * *

It was easy to forgive Tron because she was so beautiful. And his perfect match, of course. Still, he had taken it quite hard when the Bonne girl had run out on their arranged marriage in favor of some titleless orphan! After Prince Gary of Garrdan Island had put a lot of thought into it, however, he decided that perhaps Tron was in some way being controlled by her family, or even held hostage by that uncouth Mega Man, or whatever his name was. 

Gary had formulated a likely situation in his mind: 

_**Tron, clad in only a tight pink nightgown, struggled futilely against the bonds that held her to the bed. "Oh, won't someone help me?" she wailed desperately. **_

"Shut up!" howled a drunken MegaMan, kicking Tron's bedroom door open. The slovenly youth patted his beer gut and finished off another can of said beverage, belching as he completely drained it. "When will you get it? You don't exist except as my possession!" 

"It's so unfair, a flower as lovely as myself shackled to a ruffian such as you!" Tron's eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, Teisel, my brother, how could you do this to me?" 

"It was easy," Teisel replied evilly as he walked by the door. "You need a man who'll keep a tight leash on you, Tron." After he had passed, two Servbots stuck their heads in the door and hissed, casting evil eyes at the captive girl. 

"If only that handsome Prince Gary had been able to save me!" Tron despaired. "I'd be out of your dirty hands and back where I belong in Garrdan Castle!" 

"You're mine, got it?!" MegaMan shouted. "Nothing except mine! Don't you forget that!" He crushed his beer can, tossing it recklessly on the floor. Then, he leapt on the bound Tron and began ripping off her already-meager clothes violently. 

It went something like that. Gary HAD to liberate Tron from such terrible bondage! No matter what it took. That was why the prince had been spending day and night repairing and upgrading Guelly since the flight of the Bonnes. Guelly was basically finished, now, and while his chest laser had been permanently disabled, Gary had been able to improve upon the Catatonic Blase, or at least, he believed so. It was hard to say for certain without some sort of test. 

"Gary," Aunt Alaine said, striding purposefully into the workshop, "there's something on the television I think you should see." She clicked on the small four-inch workshop television, tuning it to a station marked KTOX. 

"_---these three groups of champions will explore the Sub-Gates, then, all three teams will join together to tackle the Main Gate!_" As the blond woman finished, the nearby crowd cheered loudly. The camera angle zoomed out, and Gary could see a familiar, pretty face among the contestants. 

"Tron!" he shouted in recognition. "And next to her, it's---" 

"Yes," Alaine confirmed. "They're all competing in some inane Digging contest on Kattleox Island. I just wanted to bring this to your attention, my boy. How you want to handle it is up to you." 

"Kattleox Island?" Gary repeated. His ice blue eyes narrowed. "Prepare the royal skyship, Auntie. It looks like we have a little trip to make." Guelly was battle-ready. Within days, they would make it to Kattleox Island and Tron Bonne would be his!

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Oooh, that nasty Gary. I was wondering when he'd show up again. **

Just to elaborate on last chapter's Hanna-Barbera commentary, I'd like to add that Jabberjaw simply rocks. At the risk of incriminating myself as a dork, I'd like to quote the "Jabberjaw Lunch Box" song...  
_ Who's gonna talk like Curly  
'Cause Curly isn't here?  
Who's gonna meet the badguys  
Then scream and run away in fear?_

We all know who, don't we? Sorry, I had to indulge myself yet again.   
NEXT TIME: Ready, Set...   
  



	38. Ready, Set

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 38:  
Ready, Set... 

* * *

"Let's wish good luck to all of our competitors!" Amelia said into the microphone. The gathered citizens of Kattleox island cheered their approval wildly. "The contest will begin in three days' time, and the Sub-Gates will be divided as follows: Team Caskett will explore the Ruins in Clozer Woods, Team Bonne will take the Lake Jyun Sub-Gate, and Team Glyde will Dig the Sub-Gate in the Cardon Forest!" The crowd cheered one final time and began to disperse as the press conference ended. 

Roll saw her nice new friend breaking off from his group and walking over towards her. "Hey, Roll, um, I just wanted to...er, wish you good luck in the contest and all." He scratched the back of his head and began staring at his feet. "I'm sorry Tron was so grumpy, earlier. That's just how she is." 

Catching Dantz's eye on her and the new boy, Roll grabbed took his gloved hand in both of hers. "Oh, don't worry. I know you're going to do great on your Dig!" Now Dantz was looking a little miffed. That was great! "You know, I just realized that I don't even know your name. What is it?" 

The boy looked a little nervous. "Um, well, the thing is, it's actually---" 

"MegaMan!" called a loud voice from inside the throng of people surrounding them. It sounded a little bit like the nice boy's crazy girlfriend. 

"Where?" Roll asked, looking around the area as if she expected a cartoon character to pop out from behind a trash can. 

"Right here," said the boy, pointing at himself. "That's my name." 

Roll's eyes lit up. "You mean your name's---" He nodded, and Roll giggled in delight. "That's amazing! You've got the coolest name I've ever heard! How did you get a name like that, Mega Man?" 

He was really starting to look uncomfortable. "You should say it a little faster. It's one word, not two: 'MegaMan.'" 

"Far out!" Now that Roll looked at him closely, putting his face together with his name, it seemed like there was something familiar about him. Like, maybe she should already know MegaMan? But that was impossible; they had never even met before today! 

"Made yourself a new friend, Roll?" said a crotchety voice from behind her. 

"Grandpa, this is MegaMan," she said, introducing the two. "MegaMan, this is my grandfather, Barrel Caskett. He used to be one of the best Diggers in the world!" 

"Used to be?!" Barrel demanded. "I'm _still_ one of the world's best Diggers, and by cracky, I might even prove it in this little contest of Amelia's---did you say MegaMan?" 

"That's his name," Roll said. 

"Hah!" Barrel laughed. "I always figured if Roll had a little brother, that's what he would've had to be named. She wouldn't have stood for anything else, she loves that show so much." Now it was Roll's turn to look uncomfortable. "Good luck to you in the Dig, sonny. I hope I'll be seeing you around." Barrel turned and walked away, the belt of his mauve bathrobe trailing after him. 

"Yeah," said MegaMan blankly. 

"Look, I think we need to head back to the ship, now," Roll said. "I'm sorry if I got you in trouble with your girlfriend, or anything, and I really had a good time with you today." 

"MegaMan!" called the nutty girl's voice again. 

"Well, actually, Tron isn't really my girlfriend. She's made that _very_ clear to me on several occasions." 

"Really?" Roll said with interest. Noting that Dantz was still watching her from a few yards away, Roll leaned forward and gave MegaMan a fairly chaste, but still interesting, kiss on the mouth. She ruffled his brown hair, smooshing her face into his just a little too hard. "See ya later," she said as she released him, then she ran off, taking great pleasure in the hurt look on Dantz's face as she blew by him.

* * *

MegaMan felt his head start to spin as Roll threw herself against him. Something inside him felt really, really tingly, but it wasn't near as powerful as the throbbing in his lips as he felt the blond girl's mouth smashed up next to them. He had just started to lean into her as she pulled away and gave him an appraising look. "See ya later," the girl said as she turned away from him. 

MegaMan felt as though he'd leapt twenty feet into the air, but instead of falling, he was just hanging there, limply. His chest felt like it was going to inflate and maybe burst, but that didn't matter right now because all he could think about was how Roll's body had been so close to his own. In fact, he would have done almost anything to keep her that close. 

For some reason his arm was jerking up and down. He was trying to think about Roll some more, but something had latched onto his hand and was tugging on it like some sort of pull-chain. Why wouldn't it stop? "What is it!?" MegaMan yelled, perhaps a bit louder than he had intended. 

"Mister MegaMan, sir," said Servbot Number Three, looking wide-eyed up at him, "Miss Tron has been looking all over for you. It's time to go back to the Gesellschaft!" 

MegaMan let Number Three lead him back to the Drache. At some point, Tron appeared, lecturing MegaMan about something stupid he'd done, but the truth was, he didn't care one lick about that. After the group had returned to the Drache and a very-relieved Number Ten, MegaMan sat down in the little flying ship, took off his right glove, and started touching his lips, trying to re-live the feeling he'd gotten when Roll had kissed him. 

"What are you doing?" Tron demanded from the bench across from his. 

"You bet," MegaMan agreed. 

"I know---it was that little tramp, wasn't it? Did she do something to you?" 

MegaMan was barely aware that Tron had asked a question. "Uh-huh." He was also so absorbed in his mental re-enactment that he missed Tron's hurt and worried glance, which quickly turned to a frosty stare. 

When the group finally made it back to the Gesellschaft, Teisel sat them down in the meeting room, along with Servbot Number Thirty-Seven and Bon. After receiving an explanation from Tron, the elder pirate seemed to have been completely mollified. "Well, there was nothing else you could do at that point, and we did get what we wanted, in a way---the Ruins have been unlocked! Now, to this Lake Jyun Sub-Gate: I'm going to let you two Dig this Ruin out yourselves." 

Tron's jaw dropped. "What?" 

"Now, Tron, you told me you wanted a free hand on this mission, so you're going to have one. I'll stay up here and Spot for you, so there'll be nothing to worry about." 

"But I thought you were going to do all the actual Digging!" Tron protested. "I have had time to build a new Gustaff yet, and the Feldynaught is way too big to fit into any Ruins!" 

MegaMan, who had been becoming gradually more and more aware of his surroundings, piped up, "What, are you worried about Digging without a giant robot suit? It's all right, Tron, if you're afraid, I can go by myself---" 

"Afraid!?" Tron scoffed. "I'm not afraid. Who said I was afraid? I'll go, Teisel, but do I have to take _him_ with me? How about Bon instead?" 

"Babu!" Bon said. 

Teisel nodded. "You can take Bon, too. All three of you can go. It'll be safer that way." 

"What about me?" asked Number Sixteen. 

"Yes, you can come, too," said Tron, massaging her temples. "The more the merrier!" Then, she turned back to Teisel. "I don't have any weapons or armor of my own, you realize. What am I supposed to do?" 

Teisel plucked a large bag with a "Z" on it from the floor and dropped it on to the tabletop. "That's easy! Go shopping!"

* * *

There was only one junk store on Kattleox Island. Tron took two of the Servbots down to Apple Market with her to perform carrying duties, but otherwise she went alone. She wanted no one to witness the situation she was about to subject herself to. 

"Hello, there!" the junk store owner, a plump, mature woman, greeted cheerfully as Tron walked in the door. Her eyes grew even more welcoming when she saw the big bag of refractors Numbers Five and Forty were bearing. 

Tron started snapping out orders like a drill sergeant. "I'll need a set of Digging armor, some appropriate weapons, a helmet, hydraulic boots, and some flair." 

"I'm sorry?" asked the woman as she darted around the back of the store, gathering the items Tron had requested. 

"Flair," Tron repeated. "I don't want to look like just any old Digger, you know! I have a reputation to protect." 

"I see," said the store owner as she plunked a standard brown set of Digging armor on the countertop, placing a matching helmet on top of that. "Try these on." 

As Tron struggled to put on the armor, the store owner whipped up a pair of hydraulic boots and an Arm Cannon, along with a gold-colored sash. 

"What's that?" asked Tron. 

"Flair," replied the store owner, shrugging. "The best I can come up with, anyway." 

Tron looked herself over in the mirror after dressing in the boots and armor. "This makes me look like a boy," she complained. "Can't you make it look more...feminine?" 

"What you see is what you get," said the woman. "The Reaverbots don't care how good you look." 

Tron was already trying out the helmet. It was the correct size; she had double-checked before trying it on, but somehow it wouldn't quite fit. Tron growled as she tried to force it over her head. "What is the problem, here?" 

"Umm, Miss Tron," said Number Five, "I think your hairdo is getting in the way." 

"Hmm?" Tron felt around. Of course. Her widespread hairstyle took a lot of gel to maintain, so naturally it would also be nearly indestructible and immobile as well. "We'll have to think of a way around this." Tron handed Number Forty the helmet and experiemented with the gold sash. "Not bad," she said analytically, "but I think it needs more. Can you paint the armor a different color?" 

"Sorry," said the junk store owner, "I don't have the tools in here. I just sell 'em." 

"All right," Tron said, "I'll take them, but it had better be at a substantial discount. Number Two and I are going to have to do some _major_ alterations when we get these back to the ship."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: To my fickle reviewers: if you really can't wait to get in some more reviews, just go back, read the whole thing a second time, and review everything again...(I can see it now: "On second thought, this whole story sucks. You can go to hell!") Or you can read my other stuff, or whatever. Guhhhhh--roovy! **  
  
NEXT TIME: ...Go!   
  



	39. Go!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 39:  
...Go! 

* * *

"We're just about ten minutes away from the Ruins," Mr. Wily called from his place at the boat's helm. 

"That's great," said Tron from the deck, shielding her eyes from the sun. "I'm going to go amidships and get ready." 

While she began down the stairs, MegaMan grumbled, "I don't know why she didn't just put on her armor while we were on the Gesellschaft, like I did..." 

"Because she wanted to make a grand entrance," said Number Eighteen. "It's really important to her that we all like her new armor. She worked verrr-y hard on it!" 

"Yeah, yeah," said MegaMan, dangling his left arm lazily over the ship's rail. It wasn't really Tron that was making him so disgruntled---this time, anyway. Even though Wily, the boatman, had been nothing but polite and pleasant to them, MegaMan nevertheless felt some sort of hostility when he was around the older man. He almost felt as if they should be fighting about something, but...no, that was impossible. 

Despite the fact that Wily and MegaMan had nothing to fight about, the boy was still trying to keep his distance from the boatman. Tron was too busy preparing her new outfit for its first use, so this meant that he had nothing but Servbots for company on the boat rides. Admittedly, the Servbots could be entertaining at times, but one tended to get tired of their incessant, childlike questions after a thirty-minute barrage. No, MegaMan did NOT know why some bunnies had floppy ears and other bunnies had up-ears. 

Bon had been sitting on the prow of the boat for the entire voyage. The youngest Bonne brother had spent the last half-hour staring at his reflection in the lakewater and trying to grasp the random fish that would swim by. He hadn't successfully caught one yet. 

Servbot Number Two jogged up the stairs, opening the door that led to the boat's interior. "Presenting, in her brand-new, state-of-the-art Digging armor, Miss Tron Bonne!" 

As Tron strutted out the door, MegaMan saw that the primary motif of her new, highly-fashionable armor was "pink." Every inch of Tron's armor was painted a fiery hot pink, from the solid greaves to the shoulder pads to the hydraulic boots. Only the blue visor on Tron's helmet seemed to be a different color. Tron's helmet, by the way, was now ergonomically designed to allow the billowing vestiges of Tron's definitive hairstyle to emerge freely while still allowing Tron the maxiumum level of head protection (Number Two would later tell MegaMan that it took several painful, frustrating hours in front of the band saw to properly align the slots in the helmet). 

All of the Servbots began "ooh"-ing and "aah"-ing. "That looks amazing, Tron," said MegaMan, who had long ago learned the benefits of instantly and overwhelmingly complimenting anything and everything Tron personally made. "I'm really impressed." 

"Thank you," Tron said, blushing slightly. "I...really put a lot of work into it." 

"And I can tell," said MegaMan in earnest. 

"Buu!" said Bon approvingly, leaping off of the boat's prow and back onto the deck. 

"We're almost there," Wily said from above. "Just let me put 'er full astern so you can disembark easier." 

MegaMan, Tron, and Bon waited until the ship's stern had just reached, then they hopped over the boat's railing onto the grass of the small island. Tron used her ID card to unlock the door sealing the Ruins, and the darkness within was revealed. The Lake Jyun Sub-Gate awaited them.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're doing this," Dantz said to his Digging companion as the two of them walked up to the entrance of the Clozer Woods Sub-Gate. 

"Well, believe it," said the legendary Barrel Caskett, clad in his archaic armor, clutching Quackard's spare Impact Pulser (Dantz would have called it the "Dantz Shocker," or the "Dantz Wave," or something equally self-indulgent) in his wrinkled hand. "I'll do my share of Reaverbot-busting, don't you worry." 

"At least you're not still wearing that bathrobe," said Dantz, holding his ID card up to the scanner on the Ruins' entrance. The card reader flashed a red light over the barcodes on Dantz's identification, and the door to the Sub-Gate unsealed itself. "Here goes nothing," Dantz said as he and Barrel walked into the structure. The floor jolted, the lift descending immediately as soon as it detected a presence on its surface. 

"Can you hear us, Quackard?" Barrel asked through the voicelink. 

"_Yeah---keh-keh!_" came the Birdbot's voice. "_The next floor down's completely clean. Not a Reaverbot in sight._" Roll had apparently not gotten over her little snit, and had refused to Spot for Dantz this time as well, even though her grandfather was also going on this Dig. Something had clearly come between the Digger and the young girl. Barrel thought he had an idea of what it might be. 

The lift came to a halt, and the two Diggers emerged into the first basement. "You realize that Roll was probably making such a fuss over that MegaMan boy to make you jealous, right?" 

"I don't want to talk about it," Dantz said, walking through a pair of double doors. The chamber behind it was some sort of control room. "Hey, Quackard, are you getting any readings from here?" 

"_It just reads like any other room---errrerrrhhh! Why, is there something else down there?_" 

"Yeah," Dantz said as he and Barrel investigated the ancient instruments. "This looks like some sort of control center. It says something...about 'Prototypical...something Units.' I can't really decipher most of it." 

Barrel looked around the younger Digger's shoulder. "Operations Room 2," he read from the Ancient language. "Emergency System activation requires direct password input from Eden or the insertion of three Level 2 or higher Prototype Anthro Unit ID cards." 

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Dantz. 

"Well," began Barrel, "there are references to the Prototype Anthro Units all over different Ruins around the world. I assume the gist of this message is that if we want to activate the Main Gate, which I assume we do, we have to find three of these ID cards and insert them into the control unit, here." 

"Can't we just use our Kattleox Island ID cards?" Dantz held up his own identification. "I've got mine right here." 

"No, Dantz, we can't use those," Barrel said, walking out of the control room. 

The two continued to the next sub-basement. The two split up to investigate the different directions the passageway took. Barrel's fork was a dead end, although the old Digger found what he believed to be one of the ID cards mentioned in the above control room. He doubled back just in time to find a large Reaverbot sneaking up on Dantz. 

"Look out!" Barrel called, firing the Impact Pulser at the Reaverbot. Its joints froze in place, although they began vibrating sharply as the Reaverbot tried to struggle against its imprisonment. Dantz flipped around and finished the robotic menace off with three shots from his Arm Cannon. 

"Thanks," said the young Digger as he and Barrel began harvesting refractors. 

"That's why I'm here," Barrel said. The two finished their work and began down the next channel. Barrel began hearing odd noises over the voicelink. "Quackard, what's going on up there?" 

"_That stupid monkey is jumping around on my controls again!_" said the Birdbot. "_Come here, you stupid ape! I'll teach you to screw around in here while I'm Spotting---**waaaak!**_" The two Diggers heard a clatter as Quackard's headset fell off the Birdbot's head, then the sounds of a fading struggle as Quackard and Data took their fight outside of the Spotting Room. 

Dantz and Barrel looked at one another, then continued through the Ruins. After a few moments of silence, Barrel started in on a different subject. "About you and Roll---" 

"Listen, Barrel, I don't---" 

"Shut up and listen to me, boy!" The authority in Barrel's voice brooked no argument. "She's had her eye on you since she was seven years old, and I don't think she's going to let go of that idea very easily. She doesn't like to give up on things, you know." 

"Yeah, I know," said Dantz, blasting a small Reaverbot in front of him. "It's just that I always---" 

"---thought of her as your, sister, I understand," Barrel finished for him, blasting another villainous Reaverbot. 

Aided by his hydraulic boots, Dantz bounded up to a nearby ledge in search of treasure. "I think I found one of those ID cards!" 

"Great!" said Barrel. "I picked one up earlier! Looks like we only have one left to find!" 

Dantz fell back to the floor level, the shocks in his boots absorbing the majority of the impact. "Actually, Barrel, you _don't_ understand. It's not that I _couldn't_ think of Roll in that way, it's just that I _can't_. There's something special about her---I've known it ever since we met. Something that...I don't know, it doesn't seem like I should be a part of. 

"I know I talk big, sometimes. The truth is, if I don't, I'm worried people might overlook me, like they did when I was little." Dantz halted his speech as another Reaverbot approached. He fired three shots at the Reaverbot, destroying it. "Aw, yeah! The D-Man scores another big takedown!" Seeing Barrel's rolled eyes, he grew more serious. "Anyway, there's someone out there for Roll, someone really special. I can sense it. It doesn't matter how I feel, because I can't let her stay with me. It would be like...holding her back, or something." 

"I don't know, Dantz," said Barrel as the two entered a dead-end room with a translucent ceiling. "I think you won't be able to change her mind on this---but I can think of a few ways she might change _yours_." 

Dantz blushed at Barrel's frankness. "Quackard," he called, "I can't see any way to proceed forward in here. Do your scanners read anything?" Silence for a moment. "Quackard, are you up there?" Dantz looked at Barrel. "You don't think he's still chasing Data, do y---" 

Both Dantz and Barrel heard the headset on the other end drop once again, followed by the sounds of receding footsteps as someone ran away from the Spotting console.

* * *

NEXT TIME: A Big Refractor   
  



	40. A Big Refractor

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 40:  
A Big Refractor 

* * *

"All right, men," Glyde said to his Glyde Gang as they retrieved the third starter key for the forcefield above. "Now that we've received this key, that big refractor is ours!" Glyde and the Birdbots began making their way back upstairs. 

Only two more refractors until the Garoona Klang was complete! And the first one of those was already within Glyde's grasp. It was a pity the Enarban Fell was too large to fit in the Ruins. Of course, it was still broken, after all. That was the reason Glyde was even on this perilous Dig instead of threatening to blow up the city's populace if he didn't receive all of their refractors. 

And, assuming everything worked out according to plan, Glyde would be finally pulling one over on Barrel. Glyde owed that old Digger back for the many, many times Barrel had foiled the pirate's evil schemes, most prominently the Beef Jerky Jewel Heist, a caper which Loath and Glyde had cooked up to rob the citizens of Beouf Island and was too complicated to really analyze too deeply at the moment. 

Glyde raised his beam rifle and obliterated a meandering Reaverbot as he made his way upward, ordering the Birdbots to remove its refractors. At times like this, he often reflected on what the greatest benefit of being a pirate was. After his look at the way the Kattleox Island government was run, he decided that it was the freedom from taxation. Of course, the flashy wardrobe and tons of money weren't bad, either. 

"Errrrerrhhh!" squawked a Birdbot. "Sir, it looks like this door appears to be shut!" 

Glyde groaned. "Well, then, open it, you moron! Do I have to think of everything myself?!" 

"Errerrr, we can't, sir!" 

Sighing, Glyde put a hand to his forehead. "All right, then. Let's all lift together, ready?" Glyde and the Birdbots slipped their fingers underneath the lip of the door. "One....two..._three_!" Despite the best efforts of the Glyde Gang, the door barely budged. Evidently, it was very, very heavy. 

"Okay, everyone," said Glyde, stepping back from the closed door, "I'm going to ram it." Glyde steeled himself for the burdensome physical task ahead. Here he went...no, not yet. Glyde took a deep breath, and rushed forward---okay, for real, this time. Glyde flexed his leg muscles, then his arm muscles, and then charged the heavy steel door. 

Unbeknownst to Glyde, however, the Birdbots had taken another shot at lifting the door, and a successful one. The short, irritable Birdbots had managed to heft the door upwards in spite of the absence of their master's human strength, and it was as they honked at each other in congratulations that Glyde took his run at the door. 

Glyde roared as he tried to ram the solid door, then, as his momentum kept him going through the space where the door had just been, his roar changed to an exclamation of confusion, then apprehension. "Aaaaahhh!" Glyde yelled as he kept running, then fell off a raised platform. A Reaverbot clanked its way over to the svelte pirate. "Yahhhh!" Glyde yelled as he nearly came literally face-to-face with the large robotic guardian. 

The Reaverbot raised its clawed fist and knocked Glyde backward. He felt a seriously painful twinge in his left cheek, which had better not have been a bruise! Glyde howled as he thought of this lifeless thing damaging his cosmetic purity. He grabbed his beam rifle off the floor of the Ruins, aimed, and fired, slicing off the Reaverbot's pointy head. "Heh," said Glyde, throwing back his head in a gesture of triumph, "you should have known better than to try to mar my magnificence." 

"Sir," called a Birdbot as the others caught up with him, "are you okay, errrhhg?" 

"Yes, no thanks to you all!" 

The Birdbots cackled and flocked down to where Glyde was currently standing. Then, the well-dressed pirate led the avian robots back up to the highest level of the Ruins, where they continued back to the first chamber. Glyde took the Birdbots back to the power core. "You," Glyde said, pointing to one of the Birdbots. "Lower the force field while I procure the large refractor." 

The Birdbot complied, and Glyde caught the yellow refractor just as the force field lowered. "Excellent!" the pirate remarked with pleasure. "Now, we need only one more refractor and we can complete the Garoona Klang!" He reared back his head and let out a huge, satisfied belly laugh. 

"Um, keh!" one of the Birdbots pointed out. "Where are we going to get that, sir?" 

Glyde thought about that for a unspecified period of time. "Uhhhh..."

* * *

Tron's armor actually DID look pretty good, MegaMan decided as the two continued through the Lake Jyun Ruins. That being said, the shark-like Reaverbots who were popping out of the water and attacking the three Diggers were taking the boy's mind off of Tron's new outfit, no matter how flattering it was. 

"Ba---buu!" Bon said, smashing one of the aquatic Reaverbots with his fist. 

MegaMan was firing a constant stream of Arm Cannon shots at a nearby shark. "Gaaaaahh!" he yelled. This thing's armor seemed to be impenetrable! 

"Watch it!" Tron said, using her hydraulic boots to soar over him. She landed on the other side of the shark-bot, using her own weapon to help destroy it. She bent down to disassemble the Reaverbot and pocket its refractors. 

"Let's keep moving!" MegaMan shouted. "There's too many of these things!" Indeed, several more of the Reaverbots were swimming towards the small air pocket within the chamber. MegaMan led the other two further forward, towards the faintly=visible door at the end of the watery corridor. 

The three passed through the door to enter a large, empty room with an odd-looking orange-and-green tower standing in the center. "What is that?" asked Tron. 

"_I don't see anything unusual there,_" Teisel said through the voicelink. "_If that's a Reaverbot, it may be inactive. Be careful what you do when you're around it._" 

"Let's just go around," said Tron, waving for Bon and MegaMan to follow her. The Diggers avoided the strange pillar and entered the power core of the Sub-Gate. A large red refractor was waiting for them. 

"All right!" said Tron, lowering the force field with a nearby control panel. "Grab that thing, and let's split!" 

Bon pocketed the large crimson quantum refractor, and the three dashed back out into the open room. "Uh-oh..." said MegaMan, looking at the now-mobile orange-and-green pillar. 

Teisel explained. "_I think you've all already guessed, but that Reaverbot is now active and giving off some really impressive power readings._" 

"Yeah, I kind of thought so," said Tron, firing at the huge beast without effect. 

MegaMan also took his shot at the giant guardian, and the blasts bounced off the Reaverbot's body ineffectively. 

"This thing must have a weak spot!" Tron shouted. "Find out what it is!" 

MegaMan, Bon, and Tron began aiming their attacks at different areas of the robot. Finally, one of Tron's shots hit home, on the Reaverbot's tiny head, which was protected on three sides by armor. "Aim for the head!" she cried. "That's the spot!" She and MegaMan tried to focus their shots on the head, while Bon bounded up and off the wall, finally latching himself to the beast's back. 

"Bon, get him!" Tron ordered. 

"Baaaaaa-bu!" Bon called affirmatively, raining powerful blows down on the Reaverbot's head. The two other Diggers tried to land a few hits on it as well, but Bon was by far doing the most damage. Bon landed one final, major blow, and dismounted. The Reaverbot looked stunned for a moment, then exploded. 

"Great!" Tron said encouragingly. "Let's head back up to the Gesellschaft!" 

"Okay," MegaMan said as he collected some of the giant Reaverbot's refractors. 

"Babu!" Bon added. 

MegaMan grinned, despite the possible dangers still facing them on the way out. The Bonnes' part of this Digging contest was finished, and with success!

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, once again this has nothing to do with the story, but everybody needs to start watching "Arrested Development" on Fox if you don't already. That show is seriously one of the funniest and most intelligent programs currently on television. It's usually on Sundays at 8:30/7:30 Central and HAS been renewed for next season. Thank you. **  
  
NEXT TIME: What, No Refractor?   
  



	41. What, No Refractor?

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 41:  
What, No Refractor? 

* * *

Yuna watched with mild interest as Gatz finished off another Iscreme Sentinel. Her Servitor was unable to transform in the confined space of this Ancient structure, but his battle capacities seemed in no way diminished as he slew large numbers of the automatic guardians. Gatz, unarmed, launched a flying kick at the large Sentinel, then springboarded off the nearby wall, putting one of his fists through the Sentinel's head. The large mechanical guardian instantly shut down. 

"Very nicely done," said Yuna. She would have lent Gatz a hand herself, except for the limitations of this frail body she inhabited. 

"Thank you, Mistress Yuna." The Servitor held his fingers out, scanning the local area. "I am detecting no further activity in this quadrant. As I informed you before, there have been no other readings to match the ones we received earlier. My own internal scanners, though limited by range, have even greater sensitivity in comparison to the worldwide Mother System. I cannot detect a Purifier Unit within these chambers, nor anything similar that our base's sensors might have mistaken for one." 

"A pity." She had done it again! Yuna felt herself falling into the depths of depression as another lead had slipped through her fingers. Why had she let herself believe Gatz's readings could have been true in the first place. "I suppose we can leave this structure now. I see no purpose in continuing our search here, and to tell you the truth, Gatz, these Ancient buildings always make my spine tingle." That was something they seemed to do even more, now that she was inhabiting one of the carbons. 

"Yes, Mother." Gatz led her back through the warped, domed rooms, the ruined computer terminals, and wrecked Sentinels (he had slain four on their way down). Finally, they re-emerged on the surface level, camouflaged to appear as natural rock formations, which the local betas had named Garrdan Ruins. "Allow me, Mistress," Gatz said. The Servitor cradled her gently in his powerful arms, took a running start, and leapt over a large chasm which blocked their path. After a smooth landing, he let her down, and they walked side-by-side to the surface exit. 

Gatz pressed a button on his wristband, and the Carrier's holographic cloak dissipated, leaving the atmospheric conveyance visible. The Mother Unit and her Servitor had parked the Carrier in a small valley so that none of the curious carbon units would be able to find it or detect its takeoff. Yuna had several Carriers, but all were only fitted out for air travel. If only there had been more than one functional spacecraft currently on the planet's surface! The pod was only big enough to carry two or three Anthro Units, not near enough for Yuna to stage a takeover of Eden, even without Sera's presence. 

"Mistress Yuna," Gatz said after they had entered, "I am receiving a transmission from Terra's Mother System. It appears that those near-Purifier readings that I detected earlier were not isolated. The automatic system has also picked up similar emanations coming from an island approximately 1,305.29 miles southwest of here." 

"Interesting," Yuna said noncomittally. She wasn't going to let herself get worked up over nothing again! "Are they identical to the earlier ones?" 

"In essence," Gatz replied, studying the display on the Carrier's screen. "They seem to be more...muffled, somehow." 

"I see." Yuna didn't particularly want to investigate this personally, but who else would be acceptable? "Do you think we could send Gretz to check those out?" 

Gatz tended not to let expressions show on his tanned face. This time, the Servitor could not keep a look of disapproval from crossing his face. "I would advise against that, Mother. Gretz is currently inactive, as you know, and it would take some time for him to re-activate. Also, Gretz's previous service records seem to indicate that he may become somewhat...distracted by other matters and neglect his primary mission." 

"Other matters?" 

"Gretz tends to be fascinated with the comings and goings of the carbon units," Gatz said politely. 

Yuna suspected it might go even further than that, but she let the subject drop. "Then it seems that we will have to investigate these readings personally. Set a course for the site of the most recent disturbance." 

Gatz lifted the Carrier off the ground. "At our current cruising speed, we will reach our destination in 27.65 hours." 

"Very well." Yuna stood up and made her way back to the regeneration chambers. "I think I will get some sleep in the meantime. This body has very strict limits." 

"Yes, Mother." 

Yuna opened the clear lid and roughly threw herself into the chamber. It would be another hour or so of tossing and turning before she actually got any rest. That had better be a Purifier Unit that they were following, and it had better get her back to her real body, and fast!

* * *

"Look out, Barrel!" Dantz shouted as the last panther-like Reaverbot set its sights on the old Digger. Barrel wasn't moving fast enough! Running with exhausting effort, Dantz pushed Barrel out of the way in time, feeling a burning sensation in his posterior as he just barely got himself past the Reaverbot's flame-thrower. 

"Thanks, Dantz." Barrel's breath was coming very heavy, now. This Dig had taken almost all of the old man's stamina, and he was starting to wear out. Dantz really couldn't blame him; taking out two of those feral robotic beasts had been difficult. This was the last, though, and even Dantz had to admit he was starting to get tired. 

The Digger fired a continuous stream of blasts at the Reaverbot, but it was hard to keep a steady aim on a foe that could move so quickly. The robot's programming seemed to be rather primitive: it would have to come to a complete stop before it was able to discharge its breath weapon. This gave Dantz an idea. 

"Barrel," he called, dodging another one of the guardian's blasts. "Try to get behind that thing. When he fires at me again, let him have it!" 

Barrel nodded silently and moved into position, taking small steps to avoid triggering the Reaverbot's motion sensors, which were able to detect movement from all sides. Dantz kept up a steady stream of Dantz Blaster fire at the machine, trying to focus its attention solely on him. When it stopped galloping around the chamber and aimed at Dantz, Barrel let fly with his Impact Pulser. The machine glowed with redirected energy and stood stock-still. 

Dantz renewed his own attack on it, each blast knocking the sleek Reaverbot a bit further back as it connected. Finally, it had taken more than its body armor was made to withstand. The guardian began smoking and exploded violently, showering the two with refractors, and quite a few, as it took several to power such a massive Reaverbot. 

"Excellent!" said Dantz as he gathered up the fallen refractors. "That thing saved us a little bit of work, blowing up like that. And, I might add, we can chalk up another big victory for the D-Man and the B-Meister!" 

"The 'B-Meister?'" repeated Barrel. 

"Sorry," said Dantz, "I got a little carried away." 

"It's all right," Barrel said as the two Diggers entered a room which housed a large power generator. 

Dantz surveyed the area. "What are we looking for in here?" 

"Well, we've still got to get a third ID card if we want to operate that console on the top floor," Barrel reminded him. 

"Right," said Dantz, eyeing the generator, "but if you ask me, I think we ought to check this big generator for a refractor before we look for anything else." 

"Fine, fine," said Barrel, "but let's be quick about it." 

The two Diggers began feeling around the power generator, trying to locate an access panel. When ten minutes had passed by, with no success, Dantz suggested they simply remove one of the large panels to look inside. Barrel took a large screwdriver from his tool belt and tried to remove one of the large, square, metallic panels. After a couple of long minutes, Barrel decided his strength was no match for the centuries of rust that must be plaguing the screws. Dantz added his own physical might to Barrel's, and with effort, the screw began to turn. 

It took the better part of an hour for the two to finish the job. "That's it for me," Barrel said as the last screw popped out of place. "You can get this thing off yourself. I'm going to look for that ID card." 

"Okay," Dantz said, inserting his gloved fingers between the loose panel and the ones surrounding it. He leaned backwards, using momentum to pry off the metallic plate rather than his own force. Dantz nearly lost his balance as the full weight of the panel came on him. He stumbled over to the far wall, slamming the panel against it almost intentionally. Intended or not, the result was the desired one: the generator had been opened. 

"I found that ID card," Barrel called from the other side of the room. 

"Great," said Dantz, peering into the generator's guts. There were a few assorted wires and pipes, a iron grid, and a small control panel. "What, no refractor?" 

"You'd better be kidding," Barrel said as he returned. "We didn't just spend forty-five minutes tearing open that thing and there's not a single refractor inside? Is this Ruin run on coal power, or something?" Dantz started to respond, but was interrupted. "Never mind. Let's just go back upstairs and check out that control room." 

The two retraced their steps to the top floor. As far as they knew, all of the Reaverbots had been put down, at least for the moment, until the small repair 'bots kicked in. This meant the Ruins were filled with an eerie silence. "It always kinda bugs me when it's this quiet," said Dantz. 

Barrel nodded in agreement. "Yes. Despite the urgency of battle with the Reaverbots, I've always that I felt more like an intruder when the Ruins are completely still. It feels like I'm walking on someone's grave." He and Dantz stepped in front of the control room's doors, which opened automatically. 

Dantz withdrew the three ID cards from his pack. "I don't feel qualified to actually try _operating_ these ancient systems. Will you do it, Barrel?" 

"On one condition," the old Digger replied. 

"What's that?" 

"Never call me 'the B-Meister' again." 

Barrel took the cards from Dantz and inserted them into the ancient computer. A display came to life, and Barrel punched a button marked "Activate" in the Ancient text. 

"What's this?" Dantz asked, holding up a large, key-shaped object covered in Ancient symbols. "It looks like a key." 

"'Watcher,'" read Barrel. "We'd better hold on to this. We might need it later." He pressed another button. "That should do it," the old Digger said. "The Main Gate should be opening any minute now."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: This may be last update for a little bit, before the site goes on hiatus. Everyone have a great couple of days, and we'll be back with more tasty goodness in a few days. Also, be sure to check out "Rejected by City Hall," the sequel to "Dr. Wily's Robot Rejects," on the Mega Man page or on my personal author's page. It's rated "R," so read it with caution, kiddies! **  
  
NEXT TIME: Give Me That Key!   
  



	42. Give Me That Key!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 42:  
Give Me That Key! 

* * *

"You really handled yourself well down there," MegaMan said to Tron as they stepped out of the Drache and onto the Gesellschaft's hangar deck. 

"Of course I did!" Tron declared proudly, strutting in her new, fashionable armor. "How else would I have handled myself?!" 

"Whoa," said MegaMan, putting his hands up defensively. "There wasn't any question---I was just reinforcing my valid belief in your impressive skills." Managing Tron's fragile temper took some handling, but he was getting more and more accomplished at it. 

"That's better," said Tron. 

MegaMan smiled as they approached the lift. Quite a good haul on this trip, that was for certain. As he punched the button on the elevator, he nodded politely to the Birdbot waiting next to the elevator. Hold on a minute... 

Tron beat him to the punch. "What do you think _you're_ doing here?!" 

"Keh-keh!" squawked the Birdbot. "The boss had some business with your brother, so we flew on up here. What's it to ya?" 

"Teisel wouldn't...urrggh! Number Fourteen!" Tron hollered. "Get over here!" 

The Servbot storage manager toddled over to his mistress. "Yes, Miss Tron?" 

She pointed accusingly at the Birdbot. "I want you to keep a close eye on this guy, and don't let him touch _anything_! You hear me?!" 

Number Fourteen saluted. "Yes, Miss Tron!" 

As MegaMan, Tron, and Bon boarded the elevator, Tron cast a pointed glance at the Birdbot. "Don't try anything stupid, punk. We've got our eyes on you..." The door closed. 

"What's her problem?" asked the Birdbot. "Errrerrrhhh!" 

"Miss Tron isn't a very trusting person," Number Fourteen explained. "I think she has too much stress in her life. Could you try not to steal that, please?" 

"Sorry," said the Birdbot, removing a large, ill-gotten aquamarine stone from his pocket. "Force of habit, you know." 

"Yes," said Fourteen obligingly. "Ummm...I'd appreciate it if you didn't swipe the Golden Refractor, either." 

The Birdbot sounded very put-upon as he handed the triple-pointed refractor to Fourteen. "_All_ right---keh!"

* * *

Tron burst into the Meeting Room. "All right, Teisel, what's going on? Why is Glyde up here?" 

Teisel and Glyde were both seated at the table, the Birdbot next to Glyde scratching furiously on a notepad with his pencil, while Teisel's attendant Servbot was punching up numbers on a hand calculator."It's nothing to worry about, Tron," Teisel said. "Glyde was just offering to sell out his share in the Kattleox Digging Contest." 

"Sell out?!" demanded Tron as MegaMan and Bon entered the room, each taking a chair at the table. "What are you talking about?" 

"I don't really care that much about what's inside the Main Gate," said Glyde, resting his feet on the tabletop, "so I've offered to let your dear brother pay me off to withdraw. I hate Digging, anyway---I'd rather steal my money." 

"Oh." Tron removed her helmet and began scratching her head thoughtfully. Where was the catch in this? Glyde had to have some ulterior motive somewhere. Could he be trying to take over the Gesellschaft? No, there weren't enough Birdbots around for that. 

Teisel spoke up. "Anyway, Glyde and I have settled on the figure of one-point-seven million zenny for his share, along with a certain...artifact he found in the Cardon Forest Ruins." 

"_One-point-seven million zenny!?!_" Tron screeched just as MegaMan asked, "What artifact?" 

"This!" said Glyde with a flourish, presenting a large, key-shaped object. "We found it in the deepest part of the Sub-Gate. I'm assuming you need it to open the Main Gate, or something, but I don't really care. It's probably not worth much on the open market." 

"What does it say?" asked Servbot Number Eight. 

"It says 'Dreamer,'" answered Teisel. "Did you find anything similar in the Lake Jyun Ruins? Supposedly the each of the three keys is hidden in one of the Sub-Gates." 

"No," answered Tron, finally seating herself with the others. "We found a large, red refractor that's probably worth a lot of money, but no key." Glyde's eyes lit up as Tron mentioned the big refractor. 

"Babu!" Bon crowed, holding his giant hand over the center of the table and opening it. Inside, a large key, much like the one in Glyde's possession, rested. It appeared much smaller, however, against Bon's massive hand. 

"What does that one say?" asked Glyde. 

"'Sleeper,'" said Teisel, after glancing at the ancient symbols. 

"Wow!" said MegaMan. "When did you pick that up, Bon?" 

"Buu. Baaa-bu, bu, babu, buuu!" Bon explained at length. 

"Well, that makes sense, I suppose," said Teisel, "but how did you hold that two-ton brick over your head while you were trying to break through the wall?" 

Bon gestured with his huge hand. "Buu, babu, baaaaabu." 

Glyde coughed loudly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to business." 

"Babu." 

"Thank you." Glyde stretched before continuing. "Anyway, I would be...er, more than happy to accept this large red refractor in place of the monies we agreed upon earlier, if that's acceptable to you, of course..." 

"Yes," agreed Tron quickly, forcing Glyde up out of his seat, "that's fine." She thrust the red refractor into Glyde's hands. "Well, I'd say it was great having you around, but I hate to just blatantly lie to people." 

"Really?" Glyde said, his feet dragging as Tron pushed him to the lift. "I don't have any problems with that." 

"Of course you don't," Tron said, pressing the button for the hangar deck. "Have a nice trip. Number Fourteen will be sure to strip-search you before you leave." 

Glyde looked a little intrigued. 

"Don't say anything," Tron ordered him. Just before the doors closed, Tron reached in and grabbed the Dreamer Key. "Ooops---I don't want to forget _this_!" She gave Glyde a sarcastically friendly wave as the lift started descending. 

"What do we do now?" MegaMan was asking as Tron re-entered the Meeting Room. 

"Well, we have two of the keys now," said Teisel. "We only need the other one, and we'll have the Main Gate all to ourselves!!" He began laughing uncontrollably. 

"And how do we get that other key?" asked Tron. 

"Easy!" Teisel said. "We'll just TAKE it!" His laughter continued, loud, long, and unbalanced.

* * *

"We're back!" Dantz called as he and Barrel re-entered the Flutter. The skyship was parked right outside the Clozer Woods Ruins, and while Dantz and Quackard had jury-rigged a piece of sheet metal to serve as a temporary solution to the hole in the Flutter's wall, the two Diggers had now earned enough money to get the ship fully repaired. 

Barrel volunteered to fly the Flutter back to town, so Dantz headed directly for Roll's room. He knocked on her door as a matter of rote, then immediately entered. "Look, Roll," he said, "I know you were listening in on that little conversation your Grandpa and I had earlier---" 

"Go away,' she murmured. Roll was sitting on her bed, hiding her face in her knees. 

Dantz crossed his arms. "Evidently, it's not something we can just ignore, is it?" 

Roll turned away from him and stretched out on the bed. She sniffed, then said, "How could you think that you weren't good enough for me? I can't think of anyone who'd be better." 

Dantz laughed sardonically. "If we were all characters in this universe, Roll, I'd be a bit player. My job is just to come on stage, make people laugh, and leave before anyone gets sick of me. If you want to compare it to your favorite storyline, you'd be Roll, and I'd be...Drill Man. At the end of the show, Roll the girl robot doesn't end up with Drill Man." 

Roll giggled just a little, then sniffed again. "I love Drill Man." 

"Love him or not, this Drill Man's just---hold on. I want you to understand. It's not that I couldn't ever---" Dantz was cut off as the Flutter was shaken roughly. "What's going on?" 

"_We're under attack by pirates!_" came Barrel's voice over the speaker. "_Dantz, I need you to get up top and see what you can do!_" 

"Right," Dantz answered unnecessarily, as there was no way Barrel could have heard. He raised the Dantz Blaster and charged it. 

"Hold on," Roll said, jumping out of her bed. "I'm going with you." 

"Are you sure?" Dantz asked. "It's gonna be a tough fight up there..." 

"I don't care," said Roll. "You must think I'm some sort of kid, but I'm not going to let any pirates destroy my home." She picked up a large, conical gun that had been sitting on her large computer panel. "Let's go."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know the Dreamer Key, etc., were found in the Sub-Cities in the game, but I changed it for convenience's sake. Sorry if you're a stickler and you're offended. **  
  
NEXT TIME: Aerial Assault   
  



	43. Aerial Assault

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 43:  
Aerial Assault 

* * *

Roll fired her small gun at the little skyships flying past her. That was funny. A tiny weapon for tiny targets. Or rather, it would have been funny if she weren't involved in a battle for her life right now. A small ship flew past, and she saw the emblem that, in truth, she had been expecting to see on its side. It was the same insignia that cute MegaMan had worn on each of his shoulders. 

Without warning and without provocation, the Bonnes were attacking her home. 

The larger "mothership" flew calmly in the background, only spitting out the occasional bomb or stray bullet, no doubt content to let the smaller flying vessels do most of the work. Roll wished she had finished tweaking this weapon's power output. Ideally, it would have been just as strong as the Dantz Blaster, maybe even stronger, but right now it was only about a third as powerful. The puny gun didn't make any loud, proud blasty sounds like Dantz's weapon, it just twittered as the small shots escaped. 

Dantz was shooting at the incoming ships and projectiles silently but with determination, his gritted teeth plainly visible as he took down several of the enemy's vehicles and missiles, with much more success than Roll had been having. She couldn't even fire at half the rate his weapon had, but still, she would try. 

The deck shuddered under Roll's feet as a missile detonated on the Flutter's hull. She discharged the weapon a few more times at the pirates. The small green energy blasts lurched out of the small gun's funnel-shaped nozzle, then shakily sailed towards one of the small, purple-colored aircraft. What did these people want from them? Dantz and Barrel had gotten some money out of their last Dig, but it wasn't anything _that_ impressive. "Have they made any demands?" she asked her Digger, with whom she was still cross. For the moment she would forgive him, just because the current situation was so complicated. 

"Not that I know of," said Dantz as he launched a Diggermissile at the enemy. "I wonder if they just want to take us out of the competition?" 

"That could be it," Roll allowed. The gun clicked as she tried to fire again. "Now what?" Checking the gun's battery level, she found that it was completely drained. She was defenseless against the pirate onslaught. "What else could go wrong?" she asked. 

A large, neon beam arced out of nowhere and knifed through the Flutter, slicing the airship neatly in two. Dantz sent a concerned look Roll's way as the front end of the ship, now disconnected from the ship's flying engine, began sinking quickly. Roll ran desperately for the stern, leaping as she reached the edge of the falling deck. She had almost made the jump, but not quite. Just as she began to make the plunge to ground level, Dantz's gloved hand snatched her own, yanking her up to safety. 

"What do we do now?" her Digger asked, staring at the front half of their home as it slipped further groundward. 

The Flutter had been destroyed. They were still in the air for the moment, but it would be only seconds before the engine went critical and exploded. "You know," Roll said softly, "I meant that question rhetorically..."

* * *

MegaMan felt more than a little guilty as he flew one of the many Draches involved in the assault. He knew that the ship they were attacking was Roll's home, and he suspected that she would not approve. To ease his guilty conscience, he convinced Number Thirty-Nine (whom he had originally thought was Twenty-Eight, as those two Servbots looked so alike as to be nearly interchangeable) to man the guns while he, MegaMan, flew the ship. 

This only partially eased the clenching, uncomfortable feeling within MegaMan's gut. It was easy to rationalize that since he wasn't actually firing any shots, he wasn't responsible for anything bad that happened, but he knew that was very limited thinking. 

MegaMan saw the small red-and-yellow ship grow larger as he and Thirty-Nine made their first run at it. Number Thirty-Nine began simulating automatic firing sounds with his mouth, which were soon echoed by the actual guns. The boy looked on as the Drache's streams of fire rattled against the other skyship's surface. He pulled the Drache up just a little earlier than he probably should have, but his gunner didn't seem to notice. 

"Let's get ready for another run!" Thirty-Nine said eagerly. "Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh!!" He made firing motions with the gun controls although he wasn't really shooting any longer. 

Sighing, MegaMan flipped the Drache around and flew towards the little skyship again. "Here we go," he said without enthusiasm. As Thirty-Nine strafed the vessel a second time, MegaMan thought he noticed two figures on the ship's upper deck. The Drache was shaken by some form of attack hit the tiny ship from behind. 

MegaMan tried to fly evasively as he made another pass, but was unable to avoid the shots that Roll---yes, it was Roll---was firing at him. He couldn't steer around the green energy blast, but fortunately the shot was so weak that it _plinked_ harmlessly off the Drache's glass windshield. 

Number Thirty-Nine howled in excitement as he kept up the attack. "Ha haaaa! Eat lead, you suckers!" 

"Settle down," MegaMan told him as he flew past the yellow skyship once more. It was funny; he would have given anything to be able to fly a skyship half a year ago. Now, after several intensive training sessions, Tron and Teisel were finally ready to trust him with a Drache, and he would have done anything to _not_ be flying one! 

MegaMan began another attack run. Roll and that big guy were really letting some of the Draches have it now, firing in several directions simultaneously. MegaMan noticed that Roll had stopped her defensive fire as he flew the Drache closer. Suddenly, a bright orange light seared through his eyes. He blinked, and many long seconds later, was able to see clearly once again. Nothing but bright, blue sky was in front of him now. "What happened?" 

Number Thirty-Nine looked confused as well. "I think we may have flown past their ship," he guessed. 

"You're probably right," said MegaMan, turning the Drache about. An unbelievable sight awaited him: the Casketts' ship had been cut in two! "How did that happen?" 

"Ummm...I don't know," admitted the Servbot. 

"Take the wheel," MegaMan commanded, leaving the pilot's chair. "Fly us close---I'm going to pick them up. Their ship might blow at any minute!" 

"_Ro--gerr!_" sang Thirty-Nine, plopping himself into the other seat. 

MegaMan waited a few more seconds before opening the Drache's rear door. As it swung back, he saw a tall, tanned young man aiming an Arm Cannon at him. He looked haggard, obviously exhausted from the tasks he'd just been forced to endure, and his Digger's armor was scarred from many impacts. "Come on!" cried MegaMan. "Get in!" 

The Digger blinked twice. "What?" 

"Let's get out of here before your ship explodes!" 

The Digger stared at MegaMan without comprehension, then shrugged. "Okay." He grabbed Roll, who had been staring at another incoming missile, around her waist and carried her on to the Drache. MegaMan shut the door and ordered Number Thirty-Nine to get as far away from the doomed skyship as quickly as was possible. 

Roll lunged for the door, only to be held back by MegaMan and the Digger. "No!" she screamed 

"Stop, Roll!" MegaMan ordered. "Whatever you left behind, it's not worth your life!" 

Roll wailed and sank to her knees. MegaMan, well aware that any comfort from him would be unwelcome just now, kept his distance from the blond girl. He wanted so much to hold her, tell her that everything would be fine, but how could he, knowing that he was instrumental in destroying her home? 

"Grandpa," Roll moaned. "Quackard, and Data...they're all..." 

"Maybe not," said the Digger, removing his mining hat. "They might have been on the other half of the ship." 

Roll sobbed. "So they just _fell_ to their deaths! They didn't blow up. That's comforting!" 

MegaMan rubbed his eyes, remembering a time when his best friend, coincidentally named Data as well, had died. Nothing had been able to comfort him. Still, he gave it a try for Roll. "Roll, I'm really sorry about what happened..." He looked at an object hanging from the man's belt. "Hey, you've got the key! That's what Teisel was looking for!" 

"You want that key?!" Roll shrieked, the tears streaming down her face. "You can have it!" She ripped the key from the Digger's belt and chucked it at MegaMan. "Take it! My grandfather's dead!" 

"I'm sorr--" 

Roll threw herself at MegaMan. "It's all your fault! I'll never forgive you!" Sobbing, she pounded her fists down on the boy's shoulders, wounding his conscience much more deeply than his body.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I guess the site didn't crash or whatever they said was going to happen? Oh, well. I didn't write too much of this over the past few days because I was busy on other projects. Sorry. Don't worry, we're getting through the story, as you might be able to tell. By the way...did you know "That 70's Show's" Kurtwood Smith (the dad) played the President of the Federation in Star Trek VI? hee hee. **  
  
NEXT TIME: Mega Man vs. Elec Man   
  



	44. Mega Man vs Elec Man

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 44:  
Mega Man vs. Elec Man 

* * *

Quackard struggled not to move as his two passengers struggled to hold on to the Birdbot's legs. "Keh keh! You two try to hold still, okay? I'm not made of solid steel, you know!" 

"Yes," said Barrel, holding on to Quackard's two webbed feet with his gnarled, old hands. "Only aluminum. That's why Birdbots aren't very strong. Lucky for us you're equipped with a built-in parachute, or we'd all be a bunch of stains on the ground by now." 

"Ee Eee!" said Data nervously, standing on Barrel's right foot. The toy monkey had instinctively sought out Barrel once the attack on the Caskett family skyship had begun, and luckily, so had Quackard, just to see what was happening. When the Flutter was cut into halves, the front piece had started to fall, and as they decsended rapidly, Quackard had mentioned his inherent skydiving abilites. All three had taken a leap of faith out the open edge, just to the right of Roll's bedroom. 

"Tell Data to stop moving around so much!" Barrel demanded. "He's tickling my foot." 

"Ki, ki ki!" Data chittered, offended. 

Barrel looked up at the Birdbot. "What did that mean?" 

Quackard quacked in annoyance. "He just wanted to remind you that, although---errrerrg!---you can't understand him, he can understand you just _fine_ without a translation, thanks!" The Birdbot tried not to shake himself as the three floated further down. They had better land soon, or he would be forced to ignore his Conscience Chip and shake them both off. Especially that freakin' monkey. Quackard couldn't stand him.

* * *

_Mega Man climbed up the ladder with resolve. He was almost completely spent, and only about halfway up the tower! Elec Man, his brother robot, was waiting for him atop Monstropolis's Power Station, one of the tallest buildings on the continent (_whatever **that** was, Teisel thought_)! Mega Man had to stop him before he took control of all of the power grids in the city, which, ironically, was what Dr. Light had originally designed Elec Man to do. _

A Dual-Eye Sphere had sighted him! When unmolested, these green robotic spheroids seemed as harmless basketballs, but when they sensed an out-of-place robot or humanoid, the eyes emerged from the body's interior and each sent a shockingly devastating bolt of electricity towards the intruder. Mega Man let go of the ladder with all but his right hand, then swumg around and between the Dual-Eye Sphere's electric discharge. 

"Woo!" said Number Twenty-Eight. "That was close!" 

"Right," said Teisel, biting his fingernails. "I sure hope Mega Man makes it out of this okay!" 

"Ummm," Number Twenty-Eight said, "now that I think of it, did we get that key we were after?" 

"Shhh!" Teisel shushed him. "Something important's happening!" 

_Something about that wall looked...unusual. Using the ultra-strength he'd copied from Guts Man, Mega Man was able to lift the individual blocks of the wall up. He casted them over the side of the building, revealing an odd device behind the false wall. _

"What is this?" Mega Man said, picking up the strange device. 

"To tell you the truth, Number Twenty-Eight," said Teisel, "I'm not sure whether or not we actually got that key. We attacked that little yellow ship, but once it was time for Mega Man, I got right down here. I didn't want to miss a minute of the action." 

"Yeah!" agreed Twenty-Eight, pumping his fist in the air. "Mega Man ROCKS!" 

Teisel and Number Twenty-Eight continued focusing their attentions on the action-packed television show. Just as Mega Man was going to try to leap over an impossibly long chasm, Teisel's door flew open. 

"How could you?!" challenged a short, blond girl, who looked like she was just a little younger than Tron. "I'll never forgive you!" MegaMan, a Servbot who looked very much like Twenty-Eight, and a nondescript, tall man were following behind her. 

Teisel's eyes grew very wide. "Ummm..,' he said, emulating the Servbots. "And you are?" 

"Roll Casket!!!" the girl shouted. "You monster!! How could you demolish our skyship? That was our _home_!" 

Teisel scratched the side of his head, his attention only partially away from the TV show. "Who are you, again?" 

"Teisel," MegaMan said, stepping in front of the girl, "why did you blow up their ship? I think we could have gotten the key some other way. We just totally obliterated Roll and Dantz's home." 

Teisel leapt up from the couch. "The key?" he asked bombastically. "You mean we have it?" 

"Sure," said MegaMan, handing the elder Bonne the "Watcher" key. 

Laughing without limit, Teisel slipped the key into his pocket. "This is incredible! I'll have Number One put this with the others!" He thrust his fist dramatically into air, with Number Twenty-Eight mimicking his manly master from his perch on the sofa. "Now, there's nothing stopping us from excavating the Main---" Teisel stopped, his eyes focused on the action on the television screen. 

_"You don't stand a chance against me, Elec Man!" Mega Man said as he entered his brother robot's high chamber atop the Electrical Tower. "Please, stand down, so I won't have to fight you!" _

Elec Man began prancing around the room spastically. "Why don't you give up, Mega Man? Submit to Dr. Wily, and help us take over the world!" 

Mega Man stiffened, thinking about his brother's suggestion. "I...don't want to fight you...any of you, Elec Man, but I can't. I just can't turn myself over to evil!" 

Elec Man's eyes narrowed, an act visible even through his stylish mask. "I understand, Mega Man. I also don't want to hurt you, but my programming, however..." Sparks flew through Elec Man's eyes, and the Robot Master launched himself at his brother, the robot from which his blueprints had been based. 

"You get him, Mega Man!" Roll squealed, pitching herself onto the couch next to Teisel and the Servbot. 

"Look," Teisel said as Mega Man started firing his Mega Buster at the electically-charged villain, "I apologize for shooting down your ship..." 

_"Please, Elec Man!" begged Mega Man. "I don't want to have to deactivate you!" _

Elec Man smiled. "You won't. I'll destroy you first!" He fired the Elec Beam at his brother. 

"All right," said Mega Man, "you asked for it." Mega Man closed his eyes and lowered his fists. As he put himself in synch with one of his brother's powers, Mega Man's armor flashed, the colors shifting as he locked into Cut Man's abilities. 

"Oh, yeah!" said Roll with gusto. "You get him, Mega Man!" 

"Right!" Teisel encouraged her. 

_MegaMan's armor was now completely white, while his gloves and helmet were an iron grey. "I know your weakness, Elec Man, and I'm not afraid to take advantage of it..." He threw a scissor-shaped blade at the electrically-charged robot._

"I'm sorry," Teisel said, "what was the problem again?" 

Roll adjusted her dusty red cap as she watched the television. "Um...I think you killed my grandfather, or something..." She was obviously too busy checking out Mega Man's fictional adventures to pay attention to reality.

* * *

NEXT TIME: Servbot #41   
  



	45. Servbot 41

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 45:  
Servbot #41 

* * *

Teisel marched his large party onto the Gesellschaft's bridge. "All right, Tron," he said, "what exactly happened out there? Why did you destroy their ship? I thought we were just going to take their key and let them go." 

Roll had been mollified somewhat by watching her favorite television show, but rage still flared behind her blue eyes. After learning Teisel had not actually been present during her ship's destruction, she had demanded that the elder Bonne find out why exactly why his family had decided to annihilate her family home. Teisel had originally been opposed to the idea, telling the girl she should consider herself lucky not to be annihilated herself, but he had eventually relented, just to get Roll to stop griping at him. 

Teisel placed the Watcher key onto the table next to the Gesellschaft's flight control console, where the other two were currently resting. "Tron! Where is that girl?" 

"Yes, Teisel?" Tron walked out of the meeting room, chewing on a pencil. She didn't look mad, but MegaMan suspected a raging tantrum might just be hiding under the surface. 

Teisel shrugged, his next words sounding fairly depleted. "Tron, I know you were still up here after I left to watch my show, and I wanted to know if---" 

"We want to know why you did it!" Roll shouted, knocking the much-larger pirate out of her path. She placed her hands on her hips and cast an incriminating glance at the other girl. "Why did you _murder_ my Grandpa?!" 

"But, I didn't murder anyone," Tron said calmly, her agreeable demeanor taking every single person, including the Servbots at their duty stations, by surprise. She looked earnestly at the Caskett girl. "That beam didn't originate from the Gesellschaft. We didn't want to pulverize your ship---only shake you up, so we could steal your key." She turned to Teisel. "Did we get that? I thought it was lost for sure when that little skyship went down." 

"Little!" Roll's voice was full of vehemence. 

"Yes, we did!" Teisel said proudly, as if he had played a part in the key's retrieval. "I've already put it with the others. I can't imagine how this little operation could have gone better---er, except for sinking your ship, of course," he added as Roll shot him an angry glance. He looked like he might have burst out in insane laughter, but then thought better of it. 

"That's great," said Tron, taking a peek at the three keys placed together. "When are we going to Dig in the Main Gate?" 

"Tomorrow morning," said Teisel. "We've had a difficult day---well, not me so much as the rest of you, but that's not important. Anyway, we'll take you two back to town," he said to Roll and the tall Digger, "and then we'll have plenty of time to prepare for our _greatest_ challenge to date!" Teisel looked outside at the sky, his head no doubt filled with visions of the great wealth that awaited him. 

"I can go, right?" asked MegaMan. He wasn't about to be left out now. 

"Of course, my boy," said Teisel. "We'll all go! That Ruin won't stand a chance against the family Bonne!" 

"What should we do?" asked the other Digger. What was his name, again? Dunce or something like that. 

"I don't know. Go wait in the cafe," Teisel said, waving him and the girl off. "Number One, take them down there. Get them some coffee or something." Number One saluted and took the Roll and her Digger to the elevator. 

"I don't care what that tramp says," Roll whispered to Dantz as the doors closed, "I know that if it wasn't for her and her weird family, Grandpa and Quackard would still be alive." 

"And Data," added Dantz. 

"Yes, and Data," Roll corrected herself. "I'm going to make them pay. I don't care how long it takes, I'll get my revenge." 

Dantz smiled knowingly. "Don't worry. I've got an idea..."

* * *

"What was that all about?" Glyde asked irritably as he paused in his repairs on the Enarban Fell to check inside his stolen skyship. 

"Er, keh-keh-keh. The Garoona Klang accidentally discharged as we inserted the final refractor, sir!" The Birdbot appeared a little nervous. After stealing a small flying vehicle from the islands's airfield, Glyde and the others had attached the Garoona Klang's rotatable circular base to the bottom of the small vessel, not nearly a third the size of his poor, exploded-before-her-time _I.A.S. Glyde_. The controls for the unreasonably destructive cannon were also filtered through the skyship's systems and into the pilot's control panel. 

"The Enarban Fell has enough room to manuever on this deck," Glyde said as he stuck his head through the trapdoor. "I'm not going to let it just sit here. We might need it if someone attacks us." 

"Keh!" squawked the Birdbot at the controls derisively. "Once we get the Garoona Klang finished, no one's gonna even get close enough to this ship to attack. We'll be unstoppable! Erreeeeeeerrrrrh!" The Birdbot was probably right. With the power of four large refractors, plus the immense Iscreme Cone in the center, the Garoona Klang would likely obliterate anyone who got within two or three miles of the _Bumblebee Stinger_. 

"Be that as it may," Glyde said, "I still will press on!" He saluted with his wrench facetiously. "And try not to let that thing fire again! I don't want anyone to suspect what we're up to!" He paused in thought before removing his head from the bridge's ceiling. "I wonder if the last blast hit anything..? Oh, well, no matter. They wouldn't have known where it came from, anyway." 

"Errrk," the Birdbot assented, continuing about his work re-wiring the control panel. They wouldn't be putting that last refractor back in until the work was done, THAT was for sure. "At least he didn't name the ship after himself again."

* * *

"How much longer until we reach Kattleox Island?" Prince Gary asked from his seat on the Garrdan royal family's skyship. 

"Another six hours, sir," said the soldier at the helm. 

Six more hours until he could save Tron from her bondage. Six more hours until he could pay that common orphan back for his humiliation. Six more hours until the stain on his honor would be removed, and he could claim his one, true love as his bride... 

_**"Oh, Gary!" Tron sighed as she sank into her beloved's arms. "I knew you'd come for me! Every night, I wished to the stars that my handsome prince would rescue me, and now you have." **_

"It was easy," Gary said with contempt, looking at MegaMan's twitching body over in the corner. "Now, nothing stands in the way of our marriage." 

Tron looked deeply into his eyes. "Gary, you are the greatest man in the history of the world..." She leaned forward, her lips parted ever so slightly for a kiss. "Gary," she moaned provacatively. "Gary..." 

"Gary!" shouted Aunt Alaine. 

"Sorry," Gary said, his head nearly slipping off the fist which propped it up. "I was...formulating my battle strategy." He searched through his mind quickly. "Guelly is battle-ready, but I don't know if he'll be enough, by himself." 

Alaine looked fiercely out the ship's window. "Don't worry," she assured him. "You'll have your soldiers for backup, if they're needed, and I have a few...plans of my own." 

"Really? What are they?" 

"I'd rather not say, at the moment. I don't want to spoil the surprise." Alaine's eyes narrowed as she thought of what would happen to Gary's rivals.

* * *

As everyone who resided on the giant skyship now knew, night was not a quiet time aboard the Gesellschaft. Servbots, who required little sleep, would participate in many varied activities during the nighttime hours. They exercised, ate, bowled, performed interpretive dance, painted, watched television, and unlikely as it may have seemed, some actually worked during the off hourse. Some of the Servbots were unlucky enough to draw overnight duty on the Gesellschaft's bridge. 

These Servbots were not the crack team of specialists of which the regular bridge crew consisted, however. These Servbots were chosen at random, by lottery. So, in fact, some of the day shift did occasionally have to work nights. But after eight P-M, one was far more likely to find the so-called "B-shifters" at the work stations than the regular day-timers. 

This was why no Servbot found it particularly unusual when an unusual-looking one of their number, who seemed quite tall for a Servbot, emerged from the lift. His face was oddly-shaped, with one of his round eyes located slightly off-center, so it was a little lower than it should have been. His body was painted the wrong shade of blue, which the current bridge crew, Numbers Five, Thirty-Eight, and Ninteen, simply assumed was a personal choice on the odd Servbot's part. 

Neither Five nor Nineteen thought anything was amiss as the Servbot bumblingly staggered around the bridge, almost as if he couldn't see. Number Thirty-Eight thought something might be wrong with the unidentified brother, but that whatever it was, it was nothing that a few hours' hard work in the gym wouldn't be able to fix. 

The new Servbot nearly tripped over the short stairway in the bridge, then caught himself on a nearby console. Another thing about the newcomer was that his hands were not shaped like clamps, as was the norm for Servbots, but they were shaped like a human's hands, with five separate fingers. In fact, he moved kind of like a human, too, although without the coordination one expected. 

Still, none of the Servbots currently monitoring bridge activity thought anything was out of place enough to stop the new Servbot. The odd Servbot knocked his head into a low ventilation duct near the helm, then stumbled over to to the table where the three keys were being kept. After maneuvering wildly around this table, the large, nonstandard Servbot shouted, "Awwww yeah! The D-Man strikes yet again!" 

"What was that?" asked Number Nineteen from his place at the helm. 

"OH-NOTHING," the other Servbot said quickly, hiding his hands behind his back. The voice he affected did not sound anything like a Servbot's, but did sound quite like some of the robots on old science fiction TV shows. "I-WILL-BE-LEAVING-THE-BRIDGE-NOW." He sidestepped over to the elevator, which he hopped in, looking a little nervous. 

"Who was that?" said Five, looking up from the navigation console. 

"I think it was Number Twenty-Three," said Thirty-Eight. "Or maybe Number Six."

* * *

  
  
NEXT TIME: Second Place is Still Okay, Isn't It?   
  



	46. Second Place is Still Okay, Isn't It?

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 46:  
Second Place is Still Okay, Isn't It? 

* * *

Tron Bonne was not usually a girl who woke up feeling happy. It wasn't that she had nothing to feel happy _about_, it was just that the entire idea of getting out of bed always seemed so silly at the time. On most days, Tron would shut off her alarm, roll around in bed for a while, groan sleepily, and lie in bed staring blurrily at the wall until Servbot Number Eighteen came in, flipped on the lights, and chirped out, "Good morning, Miss Tron!" This would generally result in Eighteen ducking yet another alarm clock which had been hurled in his direction. 

This morning, however, was different. Tron awoke slightly early, feeling well-rested and ready to face the day. As her alarm sounded, it seemed to her that this time it was more of a signal, a sign that it was time to get out of bed than some nagging, whiny noise that existed just to annoy her. Tron smiled and gently shut off the alarm. She hopped out of the large, canopied bed and stretched gloriously. 

Tron's door opened. "Good morning, Miss Tron!" said Number Eighteen as he cheerily strode in, turning on the lights. "It's a beautiful day!" After saying this, Eighteen immediately hit the deck in expectation of an imminently tossed alarm clock. To the Servbot's amazement, no such object immediately flew over his head. In fact, his mistress was already up and greeting the morning with a delighted expression on her face. 

"Good morning, Number Eighteen!" said Tron happily as she changed into her Digging attire. "This sure is a wonderful day, isn't it?" 

Number Eighteen was confused. His mouth hung open a few seconds before he responded. "Ummm...why is that, Miss Tron?" 

"Because today we're going to Dig out the largest haul anyone's even seen!" Tron said intensely, pulling on her boots. "The Main Gate probably has huge stores of refractors, and no Digger's even set foot inside it! That means were looking at some big, big money." 

Tron stepped into her private bathroom and began sculpting her hair. Seventeen-and-a-half minutes later, she emerged, every single strand in perfect alignment. "Wow!" she said, looking at her reflection as she exited. "I remember when that used to take a whole hour!" 

"Are you ready to go, Miss Tron?" asked Number Thirty-Six from his usual station at the piano. 

"Almost," Tron said. She made sure her belt buckle was prominently displayed, tucked in her shirt, and led her Servbots on the short trip to the Gesellschaft's bridge. As the elevator's doors cleared, Tron could see MegaMan was on his way to the bridge as well. 

"Mornin'," he said sleepily. On a normal day, this would have gotten him in deep trouble, but Tron was willing to let it slide this time. She simply felt too excited to let MegaMan's blatant disregard bother her this morning. 

"I cant wait to start our Dig!" she said, rubbing her hands together greedily. 

"Yeah," MegaMan said, nearly yawning. "I skipped breakfast. The Main Gate is all I can think about." He actually was looking a little cute with his bed hair pointing out in all directions. MegaMan's stomach let out an audible, gurgling growl. He looked sheepishly at Tron, then tried to laugh off the embarrassing occurrence. 

Tron, who was more than a little hungry herself, reached into her pocket, fetching out a granola bar that Number Forty had procured for her in an unusually lucid moment. She opened the wrapper, then broke it in half, handing the larger half to MegaMan. "Thanks," he said earnestly, giving her one of his rare half-smiles. 

"No problem," she replied informally, munching on her half. The two nibbled in silence for a moment. 

Suddenly, Tron felt there was something she had to explain to MegaMan. "Look," she began, just as he had also found the need to express himself. "Listen, I---" 

"You first," each told the other. 

Neither one had begun by the time the lift reached the bridge. MegaMan awkwardly followed Tron into the Gesellschaft's control center. What was it she had wanted to tell him, anyway? It had seemed really important, but right now she couldn't quite remember what it was that had been so urgent only a few minutes ago. She just couldn't put her finger on it... 

Tron came to the helm, the table next to which was supposed to hold the three keys which would grant them access to the Main Gate. The keys didn't seem to be visible, however. In fact, Tron couldn't see the keys anywhere on or around the table. 

She placed her hands angrily on her hips, casting her paralyzing gaze across the entire bridge. "All right! Where did the Gate Keys go?!"

* * *

Dantz felt himself shivering as he entered the Main Gate. No one had been in this Ruin for generations, perhaps ever. Nothing seemed that special about the interior so far, though. Despite the tension that was running through him, he nevertheless looked forward to the mission ahead of him. 

"_You look clean so far, Dantz_," Roll called to him through the voicelink. The two of them, after fleeing from the pirates' ship with the stolen keys, had taken an old Spotting car which had once belonged to the junk store owner. Roll had fixed up the old equipment, a chore which hadn't really taken that long, and taken Dantz via the car to the Main Gate, which just outside of the older, abandoned sectors of Kattleox City. 

Dantz wasn't sure if stealing the Gate Keys and excavating the Main Gate before the Bonnes got a chance to do it was the best, or ever the smartest method of getting revenge. Sure, it hurt---it still hurt quite a bit---that Barrel and the others were...dead, but Dantz suspected that unless he could complete this Dig very quickly, he and Roll would end up with the Bonnes chasing them all over the local island chains. Actually, the Bonnes might just be chasing them around _this_ island, since they no longer had a means of air transportation. 

There was a lot to think about, even without his current Dig in the mix. Assuming that he found enough cash or valuables in this Ruin, he and Roll, the two of them, might be able to buy themselves a new skyship, but was that something they would even want to do? Maybe Roll, despite her decision to Spot for him now, was ready to move on. Dantz felt conflicted about that. 

A duo of tall Reaverbots blocked his way down the winding corridor of the Main Gate. Dantz withdrew the Dantz Blaster and fired. The blasts ricocheted off of their massive shields. The Digger leapt over the Reaverbot on the right, planting his free hand on the wide, saucer-like "hat" on the Reaverbot's head. As he landed behind them, he blasted the Reaverbots' unprotected backs. 

Roll and Dantz were both going to have to make some major adjustments now, the Digger realized as he collected the Reaverbots' refractors and kept on going. Their home had been destroyed and most of their earthly possessions lost, and though Dantz still intended to scout out the mountainous region around Clozer Woods for the wreckage, he didn't expect to able able to salvage much. He wouldn't let Roll, go with him, though. It might be too much for her if they found Barrel's body among the wreckage. 

"_Dantz, there should be a door coming up on your right_," Roll advised him. 

"Thanks, I see it," he said, running past the large portal. "I'll check it out on the way back up. I want to see how far down this tunnel goes." 

"_All right,_" Roll answered. "_Just don't leave any loot behind. I don't want those murdering Bonnes to get a single refractor!_" 

"You got it," Dantz promised, destroying another shield-bearing Reaverbot before it could notice his presence. 

After removing their refractors, Dantz rounded another corner. The voicelink was starting to crackle with interference. "_Dantz,_" Roll said, her voice interrupted by bursts of static, "_I'm losing....mise to be careful...kay?_" 

"I'll stay as safe as I can, Roll," Dantz said deliberately. Then, he switched off the transmission. The long, spiraling hallway finally terminated in another large door. Dantz entered, then found another, even larger door blocking his way. 

"'Watcher,'" Dantz read haltingly. His familiarity with the Ancient language wasn't that great, but he recognized these symbols, which were the same as those on the first Gate Key. "Here we go," he said. Dantz took a deep breath and unlocked the giant portal in the heart of the Main Gate.

* * *

Teisel Bonne hit the ground running as he leapt out of the Drache. Of all places to keep the keys, he would have thought the Gesellschaft's bridge would have been a fairly safe one. Still, he realized he should have locked up the one-of-a-kind items instead of leaving them in the hands of the replacement bridge crew. Apparently all it took was some moron Digger dressed in a Servbot costume to fool them. 

It had taken Teisel nearly an hour to get Tron calmed down to the point where she was no longer throwing Servbots across the bridge, and another twenty minutes after that to convince her that rather than take the offenders for an extended run in the Torture Room (which MegaMan was insisting they refer to by the more humane term "obstacle course"), the family should descend in full battle array on the Main Gate and painfully punish the culprits. And Teisel had a very good idea who those culprits were. 

Yes, there was little doubt that it was that small, blond girl and her tall Digging partner who had orchestrated the theft. Teisel sighed as he, Tron, Bon, MegaMan, and thirty-three of the Servbots plunged into the now-open Main Gate. That girl still blamed him for her grandfather's death, even though Teisel hadn't even been _around_ when their ship had been destroyed, and despite the fact that Tron had sworn up and down that the neon blast hadn't come from the Gesellschaft! Teisel would readily admit he didn't know the function of every single weapon on his skyship, but he thought he would have known if a beam cannon THAT powerful was on board. 

"Charge!" Teisel cried, leading the others down the left fork as they entered the Main Gate. When they instantly ran into a dead end, Teisel was flattened against the wall. Bon slammed into him, then the two of them were both crushed even more as dozens of Servbots ran into them. "Other way," he gasped out, trying to peel himself off the Main Gate's wall. 

After everyone had extricated him- or herself from the massive human traffic jam, Teisel began leading the way down the Main Gate's spiraling single hallway. Something valuable was at the bottom of this shaft, he just knew it! 

The Bonnes climbed over the wrecked Reaverbot remains, a clear marking of the thief's trail. They kept looping around the spiral, going further and further down until they reached a door. "Oh, my," said Teisel. "We can keep going down, or use this door. What should we do?" 

"I don't know," said MegaMan. "Are we trying to just find some refractors, or are we chasing that other Digger?" 

"No way I'm letting that thieving...doofus get away!" Tron shouted. "I want some payback!" 

"Okay, sounds good," said MegaMan, "but how do we know which way he went?" 

"Babu!" Bon said. 

Teisel scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose we could..." An idea sprouted in his mind. "Number Nine! Number Twenty-Five!" 

"Yes, sir?" asked the two Servbots as they separated themselves from the group. 

"Split up," he ordered, pointing in each of the two directions. "If one of you finds a downed Reaverbot, come back and report immediately!" 

"Roger!" the Servbots replied, running off. 

Teisel tapped his foot impatiently as he waited. He felt like he was wasting time, although he knew that the opposite was true. Finally, after several minutes, Number Nine returned from his trek, emerging from the double doors. "There's a Reaverbot in there!" 

"Well, is it alive?" Tron demanded. 

"Y-yes," stuttered the shivering Servbot. "It was scary!" 

"I'm guessing it's probably the other direction, then," said MegaMan. 

Teisel scratched his head, thinking it over for a moment. "That seems logical." He pointed theatrically down the spiraling tunnel. "All right, everyone let's _MOVE OUT!!!_" 

As the valiant pirates descended further, the group caught up with Number Twenty-Five, who was checking a pair of downed Reaverbots for refractors. "Um, these Reaverbots have been beaten, but I can't find any refractors inside them," he said. 

"Didn't you hear me?" Teisel said. "Let's _**MOVE OUT!!!**_" 

Number Twenty-Five quickly followed suit with the rest of the Bonne Clan, jogging at a swift but steady pace down the remainder of the tunnel. After a few more rotations, the group found themselves at another set of double doors, which Teisel quickly opened. He motioned for silence, and the crew tiptoed slowly into the next chamber, which appeared far more modern and well-kept than the previous portions of the Main Gate had been. 

Teisel could see that Digger's patchy grey armor outlined in the hallway ahead. What was his name again? Dance? Darts? Anyway, the tall Digger was facing away from Teisel's crowded party, so he was not yet aware of their presence. Teisel sidestepped a little closer, halting the others with his outstretched palm. That Digger seemed to be talking to another person. 

"Was it you who awoke me?" asked an odd voice pleasantly. "It is somewhat earlier than I had planned..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the chapter, out of the last five or so, with which I am the most pleased. You folks really should start reviewing more, as with this update there are the same number of chapters as reviews. Seriously, give me some feedback or else I'll have to cry---I mean...uh, beat someone up! **  
  
NEXT TIME: More MegaMans Equals More Fun!   
  



	47. More MegaMans Equals More Fun!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 47:  
More MegaMans Equals More Fun! 

* * *

Strange, familiar feelings began washing over MegaMan as he entered the chamber at the bottom of the Main Gate. He didn't know why, but he felt as if he might have been in here, or somewhere very similar before. These feelings of familiarity were not comforting, however. They were giving him a sense of foreboding; he felt as though something terrible would happen, and most likely soon. 

While Teisel was silently sneaking up to scout out the next room, MegaMan felt as though there were something he needed to do, and swiftly. He followed his instincts to the westernmost corner of the room and knelt. Searching with his hands, he found the edges of the panel and removed it. Behind this section of the wall, many wires crisscrossed with many others, each one part of a rainbow of color. 

"What are you doing?" Tron hissed from behind him. 

MegaMan cocked his head as he gave that idea some thought. "There's something...I need to do here." His hands, seemingly of their own free will, located two junctions of the wires and disconnected them. Then, he took the Digger's knife at his belt and purposefully frayed the edges of the wire, so that they could not easily be rejoined. "I'm not sure what it is, exactly," he explained to Tron in a whisper. "It seems important, though." 

"Shh!" Tron said, as other voices from the room ahead could be heard. 

"Was it you who awoke me? It is somewhat earlier than I had planned..." MegaMan conintued disconnecting several input junctions as the strange new voice spoke. "Ah, no matter. Thank you for awakening me. I see you are one of the numerous carbon units that has overpopulated the land above." Just one more interlay to sabotage, and his work would be finished. "How refreshing that you have taken a long-sighted view of your perilous situation and decided to ask me to reinitialize the island yourselves." 

"What?" asked Roll's Digger. His name was...Dantz, MegaMan reminded himself as he stood up. 

"I can think of no other reason for my awakening," said the calm, polite voice. "According to Urban Military Security Ordinance A-10, the number of carbon units is not allowed to increase beyond a pre-specified limit; if this happens, they are to be purged immediately. My observation, if left unattended, you carbons will reproduce indefinitely. Your numbers will grow, polluting the surface world. As you can imagine, this can be quite an undesirable state." 

As MegaMan made his way toward the other room, he noticed that Dantz sounded a bit overwhelmed. "Urban Security Ordinance what? What are carbons?" 

MegaMan was now at the same vantage point as Teisel. The Digger, clad in his dirty grey Digging armor and his orange miner's hat, was facing what seemed to be an odd conglomeration of Reaverbot and human. The upper half was that of a handsome young man, normal in every respect except for the lavender-colored hair. The creature's lower half was that of a large Reaverbot: powerful and massive, including the metallic halves of his lower arms. He continued speaking to Dantz. "Quite simply put, carbons, or beta units, are all descended from a unsuccessful attempt at cloning the Master's genetic code. All of the carbons on this planet were originally rejected by Eden several thousand years ago, but they were never eliminated, despite several reinitializations that have occurred over the centuries. Unfortunately, you carbons fit Mass Population Model B. You are unstable, very difficult to control. This is why it may be better to simply reinitialize the island now rather than at the scheduled time." 

"What are you talking about? Who are you, anyway?" 

The young man smiled. "How impolite of me. This unit is designated MegaMan Juno, Bureaucratic Model, Third Class. I am the keeper of this island's systems." 

It sounded like Dantz was choking, but a few more seconds revealed that the Digger was laughing nervously. "MegaMan? Like on TV?" From behind the doorjamb, Teisel took in a harsh breath and looked at MegaMan with questions in his eyes. 

"I am sorry," apologized MegaMan Juno, "I do not understand your inquiry." 

As MegaMan strode boldly past Teisel and into the room, a plan already forming in his mind, Dantz was shaking his head nervously. "What's with all the guys named 'MegaMan' anymore? I don't---" 

"Not so fast, MegaMan Juno," said MegaMan, revealing himself and walking past Dantz to stand directly in front of the almost frightenly large Bureaucratic Model. "You've forgotten Urban Military Security Ordinance B-17." 

MegaMan Juno looked at him appraisingly, then tilted his head a bit to the left. "'All Prototype and Secondary Anthro Units are required to be within their respective quarters after 2330 hours?'" he quoted directly. "I fail to see the relevance to this particular situation." 

"Err, right," MegaMan stumbled over himself. He tried to access some of the knowledge that was hidden in his memory. "What I meant was, perhaps you need to re-examine the situation." 

"Ah, yes," said MegaMan Juno. "You are a purifier unit, correct? Designation: MegaMan Trigger. Please forgive me. I did not recognize you in your current configuration." 

"No matter," said Trigger. He recognized Juno's model but did not know what his specific functions were, other than guarding Kattleox Island. "What I meant by my earlier statement will become clear shortly. State the current situation as you see it." 

"I am currently supposed to be in standby mode," Juno recited, "except for every two-hundred-year interval, where I am to awaken automatically and participate in the worldwide Carbon Reinitialization Program mandated by Eden's protocols." 

"Do you know why you have been awakened now?" asked Trigger. 

"I assume, since it is approximately four years, seven months, twelve days, fifteen hours, thirty-seven minutes, and two seconds before the scheduled maintenance period, that this island has become so overpopulated an early reinitialization was necessary." Juno's voice remained modulated throughout his statement. 

MegaMan Trigger began walking around the spotless chamber with no particular destination in his mind. "Your assumption is incorrect. My minions and I have ventured down here to awaken you and present your conscious program with your new orders. I assume you have a humaniform shell located somewhere within this facility?" 

"Of course," Juno said. 

Trigger nodded. "Excellent. Please transfer your functions into that shell and return here." 

"Affirmative." Juno smiled pleansantly and vacated the chamber, floating several feet off the polished ground. "Please make yourself comfortable until my return." 

"What are you doing?" Teisel demanded as he and the others hopped into the room. "Have you met that monster before?" 

"Yeah," said Tron, "you'd better not be trying to pull something over on us, or I'll---" 

"I'm just spinning stories out of thin air," said MegaMan. "I've never met this guy before. I'm just trying to talk the same way he is, and it's working." Some part of him protested that this was not entirely true, but he ordered it to keep silent. 

"Why does he have the same name as you?" Dantz asked weakly. The Digger looked as if he might just faint at any moment. 

"I don't know," said MegaMan. "It's not like there was any logic to the way I got my name. I guess we could ask him, but I'm more worried about the Carbon Reinitialization Program, which sounds like---" 

"Mass genocide," finished Teisel, staring darkly at the far door. 

Tron looked shocked. "You mean he's going to murder everyone on the island? That's insane!" 

"He doesn't seem to have any problem with it," MegaMan said. "We're probably going to have to do some fast talking to get out of this." 

Teisel shrugged approvingly. "You seem to have a handle on this...robot, or whatever he is, so far, so I'll follow your lead." 

Tron turned to the Servbots. "All of you had better keep quiet, or else you're gonna get it, you hear me? Not _one_ word!" 

"Roger!" said the Servbots in unison. 

"I see that you have brought the remainder of your minions within," said Juno as he returned in the humaniform shell. Juno's body looked much the same as his older one, from the shoulders up. Lower than that, however, it looked a great deal more natural, as if the Bureaucratic Model were merely a normal young man instead of something far, far different. "I had thought they would all be carbon units as well, but I can see that you have quite a few primitives with you also." MegaMan Juno indicated the Servbots as he said this. Then, he looked at Bon. "And this one is quite interesting, I can tell. It would seem that he is made up of---" 

"We can discuss my servants later," said MegaMan, trying to ignore the nasty look Tron was giving him. Trying to emulate Teisel's art of on-the-spot deception, he said, "I have a new set of directives for you. This island is no longer to be kept in stasis. You have been selected to...take a survey of the surrounding carbon cultures and report it back to...um..." 

"To Mother?" Juno finished. "This is highly unusual. I will, of course, have to verify your directives' authenticity with Eden before I can..." His face went blank. "Odd. I cannot establish contact with either Eden or the Mother System." 

"Of course not," said Trigger. "When was your last direct contact with Mother?" 

"Three hundred fifty-three years, two months, three days---" 

"That will do," said MegaMan Trigger. "Clearly your communication systems have been inoperable for a great deal of time. This was why you received no confirmation during your island's last reinitialization. Mother has declared the current Order to be stagnant. She wishes us to preserve the carbon civilizations for future study." 

"Continue." 

Trigger was starting to enjoy himself. "Yours was one of only three sectors which reinitialized during the last interval. I have already visited two of those station keepers to determine what malfunction was responsible for this deviation. You are the last. You are to follow your new orders without question; otherwise I might find it necessary to exercise my Perogative of Correctional Displacation..." 

"That will not be necessary," Juno said quickly. "Are there any sub-directives about which I should be aware?" 

"No carbon units are to be reinitialized without prior immoderate behavior. That is to say, you may defend yourself, but not initiate any proactive violent action against them. Also, take steps not to reveal yourself as an emissary of the System. It will skew the results significantly." 

"Understood," said Juno. "I will leave immediately." The Bureaucratic Model stepped through the Servbots and headed for the Main Gate's exit. 

No one said a word as MegaMan Juno left, each remaining silent for several minutes afterward until it seemed it might be safe to talk again. "That was brilliant, my boy!" Teisel said, slapping MegaMan on the back. "How did you manage to keep all of it straight?" 

"I have no idea," said MegaMan. "I just bluffed my way through it all." After the grand deception he'd just spun, a simple lie like that one would be easy to pull off, right? 

"Uh, yeah," said Dantz, looking stupidly at everyone. "I'm glad that nobody...got reinitialized, or whatever." 

Tron looked at Dantz with distrust. "Did you get a chance to steal all the treasure from us before that MegaMan Juno showed up? I ought to pound you!" 

"Um, I looked in the rooms behind this one," said Dantz smoothly, "but there was...nothing there. Just a couple of small flying Reaverbots. Juno...whatever he was, he didn't wake up until just before you got here. I don't know why." 

MegaMan thought he might have an idea of why, but he didn't want any of the others to guess it. "That's not important right now," he said. 

"No," Teisel agreed, his mind already back on treasure. "If you're sure there's nothing back there..." Dantz nodded in agreement. "Then let's head back upstairs. I suppose you," he said to Dantz, "can keep the refractors you've already found. We'll take the rest." 

"Teisel," Tron said, "remember that door we found a few floors up? There could be something big inside! Let's go check it out." 

"Babu!" Bon agreed, flexing his immense arms. 

The large group ran back up the spiraling passageway to the other door they'd found, then went inside. After following a few twists and turns, and battling more than a few Reaverbots, they found an exit, which led them right outside Kattleox City's power station. 

"Well, thanks for not pounding me," said Dantz, saluting the others informally. "I'd better go find Roll and tell her I'm okay. She gets pretty cranky if I don't check in with her." He ran off to the north. "Oh," Dantz said before he was completely out of sight, "I'm really sorry about stealing the Gate Keys from you. That was probably something I shouldn't have done." 

"I suppose not," Teisel said, "but it wasn't anything we wouldn't have thought of if our roles were reversed. I think we can let it slide...this time." Tron looked like she might say something, but kept her mouth shut as the tall Digger ran off. Teisel smiled mildly. "You know, he's not a bad Digger. I wouldn't mind having him working for us." 

"No way!" said Tron. "He's a goofball, and he doesn't really seem very dependable." 

"Miss Tron?" piped up one of the Servbots, which MegaMan realized was the first time one of them had spoken in a long while. 

"What is it, Number Thirty?" 

"Can we start talking again?" 

Tron gave an exaggerated groan. "Well, I GUESS so, but try not to say anything stupid for a bit, okay?" 

"_Roo-gerrr!_" sang all of the Servbots at once. 

"You guys did a great job today!" MegaMan said reassuringly as he stood next to Tron. 

"No," Tron corrected, looking at MegaMan's emerald eyes, "_you_ did a great job today!" She squeezed the boy tightly in an unexpected hug. "I'm really glad you were with us." 

MegaMan's cheeks flushed red as Teisel, Bon, and the Servbots looked at him in expectation. "Uhh..." he said. Then, after thinking about it some more, "Uhh..." 

"_Buu..._" Bon said with disgust as Tron released MegaMan. 

"Oooh, Miss Tron!" Number Twenty-One said, waving his hand with zeal. 

"Yes?" 

"Remember that loan we got from the bank?" 

Tron's eyes narrowed. "Yes..?" she said with a hint of ire. MegaMan almost felt sorry for the plump Servbot. 

"Let us show you what we did with it!" Twenty-One latched onto Tron's hand and began dragging her towards Kattleox City. "I hope you like hamburgers!" 

"What does that have to do with anything?" Tron asked sharply as she was led away. 

MegaMan smiled as he and the others followed. No matter what surprise Twenty-One had in store for them, he knew that it would be all right. In fact, everything in his life was all right. He was certainly in a different place than he might have imagined, but as long as he was with the people he cared about, everything would be just great---and there was nothing that could change that.

* * *

  
  
NEXT TIME: I Forgot About Glyde!   
  



	48. I Forgot About Glyde!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 48:  
I Forgot About Glyde! 

* * *

_**A Quick Note:** I didn't actually forget about Glyde or the Birdbots. I just thought the title was appropriate in light of the fact that the last chapter seemed like everything was magically going to turn out perfectly. Hee hee._

The door to the Spotting car was flung open. "Roll, I'm back!" 

"Dantz!" Roll bounded towards her Digger and away from the Spotting equipment which she'd been hovering around for the past half-hour. She locked her arms around Dantz's waist in that post-Dig grip with which he'd grown so familiar. 

"The Bonnes caught up with me just after we'd lost contact," Dantz explained, a huge grin on his face, "but I was able to trick them!" He laughed so hard that it could be felt through his armor, and Roll was shaken around a little. "They didn't even check the bottom floor! They just took my word for it that there was nothing there!" 

Roll found Dantz's good mood infectious. "You mean there WAS something at the bottom?" 

"Oh, yeah." Dantz looked Roll in the eyes. "It was the biggest refractor I've ever seen! It must have been as big as this car!" 

"All right!" Roll found herself being pulled into dancing a small jig as Dantz's huge fiscal realization took hold in her mind. "All you have to do is go back down there and get it!" 

Dantz stopped dancing. "Right. I guess I will have to go down there again, won't I?" 

"What's the problem?" 

"Oh, nothing, I guess," said Dantz, "but that refractor's so big, I don't know if I can carry it all by myself." 

"I'll think of something," Roll said, wracking her brain in thought. "I know! We can make some sort of cart or something, right?" 

"Works for me," Dantz said. 

"Just think," said Roll dreamily, "with that much money we'll be able to buy a new skyship! And to fix it up so it'll look really great..." She stopped. 

"What?" 

"I was just thinking about Grandpa again. If we get a new ship, it'll seem so empty." 

Dantz tightened his arms around her. "I know. Look, Roll, no matter what happens, from now on I promise that I'll always---" 

A rolling, thunderous eruption cut off Dantz's words. The ground around the Old City started shaking violently. Both Dantz and Roll had to hold on to the console in order to prevent a nasty fall. The shuddering stopped, and the two looked at each other in confusion. Now that the sounds of the explosion had subsided, a persistent whiny noise could be heard. 

"What was that?" asked Dantz.

* * *

"How do you like your hamburger, Miss Tron?" asked Servbot Number Three. Three, along with Numbers Twenty-One and Sixteen, had been the Servbots responsible for building this little business enterprise. The truth was, Kattleox Island was in dire need of a restaurant, as the bakeries in Apple Market were the only eateries currently available for for the islanders' patronage. Tron had to admit, her little boys had taken a remarkably interesting step, as far as hamburger stands went. 

The restaurant was clean, almost spotlessly so, and instead of sitting at the counter, customers had several tables and booths at which to seat themselves. Tron herself was now seated at one of those booths, chewing up a bite of hamburger, the "Number Sixteen Special," to be specific. Each Servbot had a hamburger named after him. This system worked well in theory, but it clearly had been very difficult for the Servbots involved in the planning to come up with forty varieties of sandwich. The "Number Thirty-Two" was raw hamburger meat with a slice of onion, the "Number Twelve" consisted of fried bologna and barbecue sauce, and the "Number Twenty-Eight" and the "Number Thirty-Nine" were technically the same sandwich (a patty melt with grilled onions and mayo), though Twenty-One insisted that it was because those two Servbots were so similar in appearance. The "Number Forty" was simply a plain bun with ketchup on it, although the real-life Number Forty didn't see this as an insult, but rather a tribute to his ability to think "outside the box," as it were. 

"It's really good, Number Three," said Tron between bites. "I guess I was wrong about this place. You guys will make your money back in no time!" 

All of the Bonnes were now dining inside the Servbot's new restaurant, conveniently-placed in the southwestern corner of the downtown area. Teisel had been so pleased with his hamburger, he'd immediately ordered another and wolfed it down. He was now clutching his stomach, which had rebelled against so much food being forced into it in three minutes' time. 

Bon was standing contentedly in the kitchen area, with Number Twenty-Six faithfully shoving burger after burger into his mouth. The younger Bonne brother would have been murmuring in bliss, but he was so busy scarfing down the constant stream of snadwiches that he was close to complete silence, save for the sounds of frenzied chewing. 

MegaMan was standing next to the counter, his own eating momentarily halted as he stared at Bon's massive project. The boy's green eyes were wide as he gaped at the spectacular culinary feats in front of him. Tron wasn't going to say it out loud, but she was sort of hoping that he would come sit next to her at her booth. 

"This is really exciting," said Number Sixteen, the mastermind behind the whole idea, who was sitting across from Tron and looking remarkably proud of himself. "We've already made a profit of twenty-thousand zenny over the first week's costs alone!" 

Tron put down her sandwich. "Really? That's impressive! Maybe we should think about doing some franchising..." Her eyes narrowed in speculation. If a new-fangled hamburger restaurant could bring in that much cash, maybe she was in the wrong business. Okay, not really, but maybe she should consider dipping her hand into a second honey pot. 

Teisel stood up abruptly. He had evidently recovered from his sour stomach, as he instantly went back to the counter. "Let's see. This time I want a 'Number Twenty.' No, wait, a 'Number Thirteen.'" 

"How about both?" suggested Number Twenty-One, who was manning the cash register. 

"All right!" Teisel swiftly agreed without giving the matter any thought whatsoever. 

Number Twenty rang him up. "That'll be three hundred and fifteen zenny, please." 

Teisel paid up and got to work on his latest sandwiches. As he popped the last piece of the "Number Thirteen" into his mouth, Tron felt the booth underneath her start to quiver, then shudder, then finally, shake with all the force of a nearby earthquake. This seemed highly unusual, because as everyone familiar with geology knew, Kattleox Island was not located on or anywhere near a fault line. 

The restaurant's occupants began rushing outside as they heard an audible crack, which as they discovered, was the Kattleox City wall cracking as an insanely large beam sawed through it. This new gap in the wall complemented the nearby chunk taken out when the Flutter had scraped itself across it. Tron, Teisel, and the rest searched above for the source of the blast, but the blue, clear sky seemed strangely empty. 

MegaMan looked at Tron. "What's going on?" 

"I'm not sure," Tron said. "I think maybe it was---" 

It was lucky that at this point, most of the restaurant's occupants had fled the premises to investigate the current unusual situation, for just as Tron was speculating on the nature of the previous blast, another beam lanced through the air and collided directly with the Servbot's latest business venture. The roof caved in, then collapsed under the beam's awesome power. 

"It came from that skyship!" Teisel pointed to a small, green pleasure yacht hovering over the city. "A little ship like that shouldn't have that much power!" Teisel's voice was slightly muffled, as the elder Bonne was still hard at work on his fourth hamburger of the afternoon. 

"Yeah," MegaMan agreed following the ship with his eyes. It continued flying over the city, unleashing its devastating weapon on random buildings. 

Number Sixteen was agape, looking on in horror as the last of his project caved in. Numbers Twenty-One, Twenty-Six, and Thirty, the only Servbots that had remained within the restaurant, emerged from the smoking rubble, scorched but otherwise none the worse for wear. "I...I can't believe it," said Sixteen softly. "It's all gone. All of it." 

"It'll be okay, Number Sixteen," said Tron, putting a comforting hand on the overachieving Servbot's head. "Your insurance should cover most of the damages, and you'll be able to re-open in no time!" 

"My what, now?" Number Sixteen asked. 

"Your _insurance_," Tron repeated. "You did sign up coverage for this place, didn't you?!" Her hand tightened on Number Sixteen's metal skull. 

"Ummm...no?" 

"You _**moron!!!**_" Tron yowled. "What am I ever going to do with you? How are you going to pay back your loan without a business to make any money?!?" 

She was about to launch into a diatribe on the dangers of idiocy in small-business planning when MegaMan interrupted her. "Don't worry Tron," he said, "we can always just rob the bank to get some more money, right?" 

The fact that MegaMan jumped in to defend the Servbot made her even angrier. "What, rob a bank to pay back a loan that we owe to that same bank?! That's just stupid!" 

"Really? I think it would work." 

Tron opened her mouth to argue further, but nothing would come out. Finally, she gave in. "Number Three!" 

"Yes, Miss Tron?" 

"Take Number Twenty-Eight and Number Thirty and go rob the bank while everyone's confused! They'll just think whoever's attacking them now is responsible!" The Servbots saluted and began jogging for the northern district of town. "I wonder who is attacking the city," Tron said. 

"Just a wild shot, here," said Teisel, watching as the small skyship leveled another building, "but I'm betting it's Glyde. That's why he didn't care about the Digging Contest! He just wanted time to get his weapon ready!" 

"I forgot about Glyde," Tron admitted. 

"Maybe we should just get out of here while the getting's good," MegaMan offered. "Once we've finished robbing the bank, that is." 

"No!" Tron said arbitrarily. "I am not letting Glyde, or whoever that is up there, get away with smashing our restaurant! I didn't get any payback from that doofus Digger, but I want some now!" 

"Sounds good to me," said Teisel. "Let's head back to the ship. We'll attack him from the air!"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: About last chapter: I was always amazed that in the actual game, MegaMan never even _tried_ to talk MegaMan Juno out of destroying Kattleox Island. He just kind of stood there like a lamppost, then attacked. I don't think he would have been successful, but he probably should have at least said, "Umm...you really shouldn't, I don't know, do that." Or something of that nature. **

Anyway, if you're bored, check out some of the stories on my author page (and REVIEW them (and REVIEW this one!)) To answer a question I received, I made the chapters of this story intentionally short to assist in the serialization. Thank you.   
  
NEXT TIME: The Garoona Klang   
  



	49. The Garoona Klang

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 49:  
The Garoona Klang 

* * *

"Let's go!" Teisel commanded, plopping himself into the Gesellschaft's command chair. 

"All stations, report in," Number One said over the communications channel. "Battle condition one! T-minus fifteen minutes to engagement." 

"Requested altitude, sir?" asked Number Eleven from the helm. 

"Get us up really high," said Teisel, "around ten thousand feet or more. Glyde's little skyship can't possibly climb that far up---those smaller models don't have the same kind of mobility we do." 

"Roger!" Number Eleven said, manipulating the controls. 

Number One was continuing his announcements. "Miss Tron, please report to the Hangar Deck! All Servbots currently on KP, please properly secure all food items and utensils." 

"That weapon of his can only aim downward," Teisel told the bridge crew. "If we can stay above Glyde, he won't be able to fire back on us, at least, not with his big gun. But we'll be able to rain fire on him! Not to mention the fact that we'll have the Draches and Tron's creations to match him as well." He clenched his armored fist. "I'd be surprised if that puffed-up popinjay even lasts five minutes!" 

"Side cannons are armed, Master Teisel," reported Number Fifteen from the tactical console. "Forward cannon is charged!" 

"Lock all restroom doors!" continued Number One. "Please turn off all exercise equipment in the Training Room! All brooms, mops, and other cleaning implements are to be properly stored until combat is complete!" 

"All Draches are ready for takeoff!" reported Number Sixteen. 

Teisel's ecstatic mood broke. Pursing his lips, he leaned his head on his fist as he thought. "Still, the underbelly is one of the Gesellschaft's weak points. Maybe we should station a few of the Draches underneath us to protect it." He considered the idea some more. "Then again, we should be high enough to be out of Glyde's weapons range altogether." He leaned on the other fist. "Of course, there's no sense in risking it. Order Drache 3 to cover us, the rest will join the attack!" 

"Roger!" said Number Sixteen. 

Number One still had not finished his preperatory announcments. "All gun crews, preprare for imminent bombardment! Number Thirty-Three, please ensure that all E. Bottles are correctly distributed. Number Forty, please lock yourself in Miss Tron's closet until further notice!" 

"We don't really know what kind of armaments Glyde has on that tiny ship," Teisel said. "Any indications on the scanners, Number Fifteen?" 

"No, Master Teisel," Number Fifteen replied. "I can see that there are some sort of...I'm not even sure what those readings are!" 

"Take a guess." 

Fifteen studied his display for a few moments. "Ummm...I think they might be...from a robot?" 

Teisel slapped himself in the forehead. "What KIND of robot, Number Fifteen?" 

"I'm not sure, Master Teisel. A...fighting robot?" 

Teisel groaned. "Okay, if that's the best we can do, we'll have to hope that it's good enough." He turned on his voicelink. "Tron, are you ready to go down there?" 

"_Yes, Teisel. The Draches are loaded, and Bon and I are ready to go, too. We won't let you down._" 

"Excellent," said Teisel. He cackled fiercely as his ship drew ever closer to Glyde's. Wrecked vehicles and buildings could be seen from his current vantage point. "All right, everyone, let's get ready for _**BATTLE!!!**_" 

"_Roo-gerr!_" replied all but one of the Servbots. 

Number One, of course, was still shouting out his orders to the rest of the Gesellschaft's crew. "Remember, no weapons are to be discharged inside the ship's corridors unless we have been boarded. Please remove all non-standard articles of clothing. This includes eyepatches, bandanas, surgical masks, gloves, and sunglasses. No hockey sticks will be permitted outside of crew quarters until the end of combat operations."

* * *

Glyde looked on with great interest as his precious weapon pulverized another little building. Of course, as he had noticed throughout his pirate career, they all looked little from a skyship. Maybe he was letting the Birdbots have too free a hand with the Garoona Klang, however. No one seemed to be gathering their valuables and laying them out for his procurement; all of Kattleox Island's citizens appeared to be simply fleeing the devastating onslaught they were currently facing. 

"Slow down on the trigger a little bit," he ordered. "I want some people to be left alive to gather up all the items of any worth down there. You know how much I hate having to do the work myself." 

"Errererrh!" squawked a Birdbot. "All right..." 

Yes, despite any overly violent methods he may or may not have been using, Glyde was pretty sure that he was facing a big payoff. He only wished that Teisel and his family had been around---so that he could give them a proper send-off, of course. Glyde rubbed his hands together as he thought of the painful chastisement he'd give those loathsome Bonnes. 

Glyde heard several small detonations coming from above. "What's going on?" 

Before the pilot or the gunner could answer, another Birdbot popped through the trapdoor in the ceiling. His feathers were covered in soot, and smoke rose from his aluminum body. Coughing, the Birdbot slowly got up off the deck. "Keh-kaff! Sir, we seem to be under attack!" The Birdbot coughed some more. "I thought I saw a green airship above us, but it was too far away to tell for sure!" 

Glyde's eyes flashed. "Teisel! I knew you wouldn't just run off and leave our grudge match unfinished." Glyde swept his mauve cape behind him, where the breeze flowing in made it flutter in a dramatic fashion. "Let them have it with the Garoona Klang!" 

Several more minor impacts gently shook the _Bumblebee Stinger_ as Glyde waited, frozen in his pose, for the telltale rush of sound that signaled the discharge of his massive master weapon. Several minutes passed by, and Glyde's arm began to cramp up as he held it up for a prolonged period. 

"What's the holdup?!" 

"Err," said the Birdbot piloting the ship. That had not been a squawk, only a statement of uncertainty. "Taking into account the way the Garoona Klang is fixed on our ship's underside, and can only rotate forty-five degrees in any given direction, we would have to turn the ship almost completely upside down to fire upward, sir." 

Glyde groaned in frustration. "You'd think one of us would have considered that before we hooked it on down there!" He relaxed from his forced pose and began climing the ladder. "I'll be on deck, repelling our attackers. Concentrate on evasive maneuvering. Don't worry about firing the Garoona Klang on any of the buildings unless you really have to!" 

"Keh-keh, sir!" replied the Birdbots as Glyde emerged onto the deck. 

There was no question it was the Bonnes attacking them. Three of their tiny skyships flew past Glyde, each firing shells at the side of the _Stinger_. Glyde had to step carefully, as Bonne Bombs were raining down on the deck as well, no doubt dropped from the Gesellschaft high above them. He noted that several dozens of the bombs were also falling down on the city as well. 

Glyde unsealed the hatch on the Enarban Fell, which was finally once again functional. He stepped gingerly through the cramped cockpit and slid into the seat behind the command panel. He grinned savagely as the machine began moving. Those little Draches didn't stand a chance against him.

* * *

Dantz and Roll sprinted through the gate connecting the Old City to the downtown area. Piles and piles of smoking rubble greeted them, combined with a few of the buildings, including the library, which were still standing. The two looked around, searching for the origin of such destruction. 

"Whoa," said the Digger, staring with disbelief at the carnage. "Who could be doing this?" 

Roll shook her head. "I hope everyone's okay!" Both looked northward as they heard sounds of battle. "Look!" Roll pointed to a small, emerald green skyship hovering near City Hall. The ship fired a green blast downward, then swerved as a few smaller skyships began strafing it. "Those Bonnes are having a battle right over the city! What are they thinking?" 

"I don't think they're the ones that started this," Dantz said. "They were just in the Main Gate, remember? They didn't have time to plan a major strike on Kattleox City, which means..." 

"They're _defending_ it?" Roll said incredulously. "That's impossible!" 

"Maybe not," said Dantz. He hooked the Dantz Blaster back on his arm, checking all of his Digging tools and weapons swiftly. "Roll, stay here and see if you can help out the townspeople. I'm going to...do whatever I can to stop that battle." 

Roll gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Be careful." 

"Always," Dantz promised. He sped towards the northern edge of the city, dodging the fallen bricks, girders, and assorted rubble that was strewn about the city streets. As he neared City Hall, he noted that the small skyship was drifting steadily towards the east, which would bring it very close to the roof of the police station. 

Dantz burst into the police station and pressed the call button on the elevator, darting around various city employees that seemed completely oblivious to the current crisis. Dantz boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, pacing the small lift impatiently as it moved upward. He dashed out of the double doors as they opened, seemingly into someone's apartment. No worries about privacy now, though. Dantz searched desperately for a roof access stairway. 

He found one in the apartment's kitchen. Dantz ran up the final stairway to emerge on top of the very tall building with no time to spare. The skyship was passing by just overhead. The Digger pulled out his Dantz Grapple, locked it on his arm, and fired it. The grapple soared upward, then fell, landing over the railing of the skyship's deck. Dantz would have tugged on it, to verify its secure grip, but had it verified for him as he was pulled off of the police station's roof. 

Dantz activated the auto-retract, and the winding mechanism pulled him higher. He hooked a leg over the railing, and swung himself on to the ship. "There we go," said the Digger confidently. "Now, all we have to do is---" Dantz trailed off as he saw the large, looming combat robot staring down at him. 

"Ulp!" Dantz choked.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Coming up on the big 5-0 next time. I'd plan a celebration, except for no one really cares. I really liked the metaphor where Tron "dips her hands into two honey pots" from the last chapter. That was a little goofy, and that's why I left it in. **  
  
NEXT TIME: Turn This Ship Around!   
  



	50. Turn This Ship Around!

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 50:  
Turn This Ship Around!

* * *

The Drache banked sharply to the left as MegaMan turned, avoiding a shell fired from Glyde's ship. Sure, the big beam cannon couldn't get him from up here, but Draches were small, and couldn't take a lot of punishment. Plus, MegaMan was carrying perhaps the most important cargo of all. 

"_Be careful, up there!_" Tron shouted over the voicelink. Her combat module was hanging from the Drache's clamps, ready to spring into battle if necessary. 

"I'm trying to not _get hit_," MegaMan shot back, flinging the little skyship into a wide turn. "Try to shoot a little more at Glyde, if you can. Number Thirty-Nine's having trouble with it.' 

"It's just hard to hit those little Birdbots from so far away," said Thirty-Nine defensively. "And I don't think my bullets are doing anything at all to that big robot." 

MegaMan looked at the aforementioned giant robot, which was coincidentally the same one with which Glyde had tried to attack the city earlier. Its four arms were flinging explosives as rapidly as possible at many of the Draches currently participating in the assault. As his own Drache zoomed by, he saw that Thirty-Nine was correct; the bullets were having little or no effect on the large combat vehicle. "Tron!" he called. "Do you want to detach and attack him directly? 

"_You bet_!" Tron answered with violent fervor. "_I'll drop down on the next pass! Try to get as close as you can_!" 

"Roger," MegaMan said, not realizing until it was too late that it made him sound a bit like a Servbot. He flew lower, approaching the stern of Glyde's emerald green skyship. Confident that no one would notice his Drache from this vantage point, he pulled in closer, getting almost near enough to bump the ship's hull with the Drache's nose. Then, he climbed slowly upward, the ship's deck gradually came into view. MegaMan leaned slightly forward on the controls, inching the ship forward, until he judged it an acceptable drop zone for Tron's vehicle. "You're clear," he advised her. 

"_Great. Here I go_!" The Drache rose slightly as the weight released from its undercarriage. 

Yes, now Tron was going into battle. Battle against that huge, powerful robot which had caught them off their guard in Kattleox City and was now lurking over her, and was that an evil grin on its face? MegaMan shook his head. Now the "face" just looked metallic and locked in place, like it should have. MegaMan's stomach tightened. All of a sudden he had an uncomfortably tight feeling in his stomach. He didn't want Tron going out there alone. 

Shifting the flight controls to Number Thirty-Nine's console, he said, "Take over. I'm going to go help." Luckily, he'd brought his Arm Cannon along in case of emergency. He locked it in place over his left hand, then opened the Drache's rear door. The distance down was perhaps a bit greater than he'd originally thought. Nearly thirty feet of air hung between him and the deck of Glyde's vessel. MegaMan gulped. He'd never been afraid of heights, but this seemed an insane height for anyone to jump. From behind him, he could hear the sounds of Tron engaging Glyde's massive robot. She would be in for a serious fight, one she likely would not be able to win. 

MegaMan closed his eyes and stepped out the door. 

Seconds later, he landed perfectly on the deck. In truth, he felt no discomfort whatsoever, a fact which, considering some of his previous experiences, no longer surprised him. He doubled around and saw the Feldynaught spinning its squid-like arms in a clockwise direction, firing random shots in the direction of Glyde's massive machine. 

"Hey!" called a voice from beside him. "Are you okay? That was one heck of a fall." 

"Dantz," MegaMan said in recognition. "What are you doing here?" 

The tall Digger tipped his hat slightly. "Well, when I saw this ship attacking the city, I knew I couldn't just let it happen. I had to do something, even though it was just me against all of this." He looked at the giant mechs battling in front of them. "To tell you the truth, I was pretty glad when you all showed up. I don't know if I could have handled it by myself." 

MegaMan pondered that for a minute. Could he, by himself, put himself up against unbelievably bad, and perhaps even impossible odds to protect people who he'd never even met? No, he decided, he could never be that selfless, no matter how noble it was. He shook the feeling off. "All right, let's help Tron. She's a little outmatched." His eyes lightened ever so slightly. "Don't tell her I said that. She'd rip my ears off." 

"No problem," Dantz said, charging up his Arm Cannon. "Once that clown gets a taste of the ol' Dantz Blaster, he'll be sorry he ever messed with us!" 

The Feldynaught shot a volley of Bonne Bombs at its larger opponent. "The Dantz Blaster?" asked MegaMan. "Isn't that just a regular Arm Cannon?" 

Dantz shuffled his feet. "Well, yeah, but we gave it a special name." 

Laughing, MegaMan said, "No offense, but that makes you sound really full of yourself. That's like if I called mine...um...if I called mine..." 

"The 'Mega Buster,'" Dantz supplied for him. 

"Yeah," said MegaMan, grinning. "The Mega Buster." 

After a quick glance, both Diggers dashed into battle. MegaMan tried to focus his fire at what seemed like they might have been the large vehicle's weak spots. It was hard to keep his shots clear; Tron kept getting in his way. The deck just wasn't wide enough to leave room for him, Dantz, and the Feldynaught, too. MegaMan leapt up as high as he could, getting off three blasts at Glyde's maniacal vehicle. 

"_Hey!_" Tron called over the voicelink. "_Stop that! I don't need your help!_" 

"I'm not going to let you fight alone," MegaMan said. "That robot's almost twice the size of yours!" 

"_I don't care! I'm not going to let him win_!" Tron fired another barrage at her foe. "_Get out of here! I don't want either of you helping me!_" 

"Okay," MegaMan said hesitantly. He stood down from the fight, then ran over to Dantz, signaling the other Digger to stop his assault as well. 

"What's happening?" asked Dantz. 

"Tron doesn't want us to fight with her," said MegaMan. "It's probably some stupid ego trip, but I'm not going to get anything done with her hollering in my ear constantly, either, so we'd better do what she says." 

"Is there any other way we could help?" 

"I don't know," MegaMan said, firing at a Birdbot that was trying to rush him. 

Dantz ruffled his brow in concentration. "Okay, I've got it. Let's get the ship out of here." 

"What?" 

"If we can change the ship's course, we can keep it from destroying any more of the city than it already has. Maybe we can even destroy their giant weapon, or something, I don't know." Dantz adjusted his helmet. "It's worth a shot." 

MegaMan shrugged. "Okay. Let's do it."

* * *

Roll held the screaming child tightly against her shoulder. "Don't worry," she said soothingly. "We'll find your mother soon." It was hard to be comforting when she was so worried, both about Dantz and the little girl trying to squirm out of her grasp. Roll had found the child sobbing in front of the ruins of a nearby hamburger restaurant. The Spotter fervently hoped that the little girl's parents had not been inside,. 

"Excuse me," she asked a nearby townswoman. "Do you know this child? Or her parents?" 

The woman looked dazed, staring at the smoking remains of an apartment building. "No," she said blankly. 

"That's alright," Roll said, walking away from her. Where were the police, anyway? 

The sound of a siren grew closer as Roll walked down the street. The library was still undamaged; maybe she should head there? A police car drove by her as she turned right down an alleyway. At least they were _finally_ reacting to the disaster. She darted through the alleyway, which was not nearly as concealing as it had been several hours earlier. 

As she emerged, she saw that, indeed, the library was still structurally intact. Roll dashed across the open street, which, she had to admit, was not as dangerous as it had been just minutes ago, when the city had been under vicious attack. While Roll was climbing the steps to the library, she heard a voice cry out behind her. 

"My baby! That's my baby!" 

With relief, Roll handed the child over to the matronly woman. She continued her trek into the library building, not sure of what she was going to do next. It was at times like this she really wished she was able to fight by Dantz's side! 

"Errerrh!" came a familiar squawk as the girl tripped over an obstruction. 

"What?" She looked down at her feet. "Quackard, is that you?!" 

"Yeah," said the Birdbot weakly. "I think you should watch where you're---" 

Quackard was cut off as Roll gripped him in the tightest, most painful grip he had ever been caught up in. "Oh, Quackard, thank goodness! I thought I was never going to see you again!" She tightened her arms around the diminutive Birdbot. 

"Errawk! Gently, baby, gently. I don't want to have to buff out any dents in my awesome bod." 

Roll loosened her arms just a bit. "And Grandpa? And Data? Are they okay, too?" 

Quackard gave her arm a quick nibble of affection. "Yeah, they're all okay, keh-keh! It was touch and go for a while, but we finally landed without any one of us killing the others, so we're all ship-shape. Grampy's inside. He was worried sick about you, you know." 

"Let's go see him!" Roll dragged her re-programmed Birdbot inside the Kattleox Island Library.

* * *

Yuna awoke as the Carrier's klaxon started reporting. She rolled groggily out of the stasis tube. Admittedly, she was far more alert than she would normally be upon awakening, but still, she felt a lingering tiredness that was difficult to shake away. "What is it?" she asked Gatz. 

Gatz, still sitting at the pilot's control panel, checked the readouts. "Mistress Yuna, it appears that the near-Purifier readings we received earlier are being repeated, though softly, from almost exactly the same location." 

"Excellent." This truly was good news. Yuna had been half-afraid that the readings would be intangible ghosts again, leaving her with no escape from her current carbon shell. "How far are we from their location?" 

"Less than ninety minutes, Mother." 

"That's wonderful. Let me know when we have arrived." Yuna slid back into her stasis tube and closed her eyes. She'd need all the energy she could muster once they arrived at...what was it called again? She tried to recall the name of the island. Oh, yes. Kattleox.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Up to fifty chapters! Let's keep rockin! (in a free world, as Neil Young would say) **

Once again, this has nothing to do with the story, but here're my reviews of Omaha's 2004 "Rib Fest." Just to make sure it's legal fanfiction content, I'll pretend that Tron and Teisel Bonne went with me, too. 

---_Best Ribs:_  
Winner---Aussom Aussie's Australian Barbecue  
Runner-Up---Johnson's Virginia Ribs 

Tron: I don't know, I'm not really a "rib person." I hate eating with my bare hands. All of these ribs are so messy, I feel like I have to take a shower after eating them. Anyway, I guess the Australian ribs were pretty tasty, but I thought the sauce could have been a little hotter. Johnson's had the better sauce, but the meat wasn't as tender. 

_Teisel:_ I don't even know where Australia is, but they sure know how to cook their meat products! I absolutely loved those ribs! If we ever finish work on the Gesellschaft VIII, I think we're going to make conquering Australia our first order of business. What? Talk about the others? I suppose the Johnson ribs were okay, but I liked the Desperado's ribs better because I had to rip them apart with my bare hands. What? They didn't even place?! Doooh! What a gyp! 

_ADR:_It's hard to believe that an Australian could beat out people from Ohio, Texas, and Indiana when it comes to barbecue, but it happened. Of course, no one from Kansas City was entered (heh heh)! Yes, the guy who worked the counter was REALLY from Australia. It makes one wonder, though, why they traveled halfway around the world to come to a contest in Nebraska. The rib meat was very soft and just melted off the bone, and the Johnson's ribs were also great. They had a really good flavor on their own, without any sauce. 

_Hottest BBQ Sauce:_  
Winner---Johnson's "Thermonuclear Sauce"  
Runner-up---Desperado's Hot Sauce 

Tron: I _love_ hot stuff, and this Thermonuclear sauce was possibly the hottest thing I've ever tasted! I almost had to start dancing when I first tried it. I'm just glad I'm not a little wuss like the boys are. They couldn't handle themselves. I was laughing so hard I had trouble tasting the other sauces. 

_Teisel:_ That Thermonuclear Sauce was so hot I burned my mouth with just a little bit from my finger! I didn't want to even try the others, so I just got some ice cream instead. 

_ADR:_ The Desperado's hot sauce was really, really, hot, but the reason I have to give my vote to the Thermonuclear Sauce was that it had huge chunks of hot pepper floating in it. That, and I think the brisquet actually started smoking a little bit when I put sauce on it. 

_Best "Non-BBQ" Food:  
Winner---Onion Blossom  
Runner-up---Fried Twinkies _

Tron: Yeah, well, I kind of liked the Fried Twinkies better. In fact, I gave Number Twenty-Six the recipe for later. It's so simple, even HE can't screw it up! Plus, I really like how Twinkies can stay preserved for like, fifty years or so. 

_Teisel:_ Fried Twinkies are nice, but I think if you're going to fry something, it might as well be one of the classics---the onion. The batter was excellent, and very crispy. I really loved that funny orange sauce they served with it. I'm not sure what it was, but it tasted great! 

_ADR:_ I have to agree with Teisel, the onion blossoms were a little better than the Fried Twinkies. Even though a lot of the strings stuck to the base of the onion, the flavor more than made up for that difficulty. I also liked the sauce, although I didn't think it was a necessity for the proper "blossom experience." 

That's it for this year. No more barbecue talk for a while, I promise.   
  
NEXT TIME: Feldynaught vs. Enarban Fell   
  



	51. Feldynaught vs Enarban Fell

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 51:  
Feldynaught vs. Enarban Fell

* * *

Glyde's epicene voice emanated from his vehicle's loudspeaker. "_Oh, Tron Bonne, you can't imagine how long I've been waiting for this moment!_" 

Tron, hanging upside down in her cockpit, tried to stretch for the Feldynaught's controls. No, she still couldn't reach. Maybe if she tried one more time...no! Tron growled and restrained herself from struggling against the restraints, for if they broke, she would take a nasty spill onto the ceiling of her enclosure. 

Glyde was currently dangling the helpless Feldynaught by one of its several legs. Tron could still hit the laughing pirate's mech with a well-placed bomb, if only she could reach the control panel. She vainly lunged upward again, to no avail. Tron felt herself being shaken as Glyde jostled her prized combat robot up and down. Tron clenched her fists as she was rattled in her confinement. Once she got out of this, she was going to give Glyde what for, no matter what it took! She'd show that prissy pirate what--- 

One of Tron's bobbing fists whacked the fire button almost completely incidentally. A bomb launched from the Feldynaught's maw, detonating as it made contact with the other vehicle's armor. Glyde uttered an exclamation of shock through his speaker, and Tron felt, rather than saw, him release the Feldynaught. 

Tron was jarred again as she hit the deck. She managed to pull the control stick in the correct direction using only her foot, and then fell back into the pilot's seat as the vehicle finally righted itself. Now, she was ready to resume the offensive. 

"_Ohh!_" Glyde shouted, clearly not realizing that his speaker was still activated. "_Put out that fire, you morons! We'll show her what it means to face the Enarban Fell!_" 

Tron found her resolve renewed. She shifted into full reverse, laying covering fire for herself as she did so. The Feldynaught skittered backward on its many-jointed limbs, bullets spraying from several turrets she'd mounted on it. Responding to a small, nagging voice inside of her, Tron jerked the controls to the right, narrowly missing a punch the Enarban Fell had thrown at her. Since the Feldynaught was already in the proper position, she latched onto the large limb and began climbing up it, firing all she could muster at Glyde. 

"_Hey!_" Glyde said from his own cockpit. "_Cut that out!_" He waved the arm to which Tron was attached, but was unable to shake the smaller robot from its secure grip. 

Tron launched another offensive barrage at the Enarban Fell. Perhaps this strategy would have been enough for Tron to finish the battle, had not a fandom explosion knocked the Feldynaught from its perch atop the massive limb. Tron winced as she realized it was likely some "friendly fire" falling from the Gesellschaft that had hit her. "You need to be more careful up there!" she hollered into the voicelink, not sure if she was even set to the right channel to reach them. 

Tron nudged the Feldynaught into a leap, narrowly dodging another powerful punch from her foe. Her eyes flicked downward as she heard a small impact from her underbelly. A Birdbot was aiming a small bazooka at her. Tron focused her cannons on the small robot and fired. The loud, warbled "keh-keh!" the Birdbot emitted as the weapons made contact was quite satisfying to her. 

Deplorably, this allowed Tron's opponent to connect with a punishing blow. The Feldynaught flipped over twice as it was again knocked to the skyship's deck. Tron locked the legs into spin mode, eluding a crushing blow from the Enarban Fell which pounded harmlessly into the green roof of the ship. Tron fired another Bonne Bomb at the huge monstrosity; it seemed like her cannons were having little noticeable effect on it. 

Gritting her teeth, Tron locked her mech's legs and charged forward. There was no way she was going to give Glyde the satisfaction of winning this fight!

* * *

"Maybe we should stop dropping all those bombs," Teisel suggested, leaning forward in the Gesellschaft's command chair. "I think we hit Tron with some of that last bunch." 

"Oh," said Number Fifteen, watching his tactical screen closely. 

Teisel rapped his fingers on the arm of his chair fretfully. Watching his own display, he saw another barrage of Bonne Bombs fall from the outlined Gesellschaft. The little green dots, representing the bombs, plummeted slowly down the screen and onto the two outlines below, which were standing on top of a third, larger outline, which represented Glyde's skyship. "Hey!" Teisel called. "I said to stop doing that!" 

"Ummm, actually, you only said that _maybe_ we should stop dropping the bombs," Number One pointed out correctly. "You never ordered us to." 

Teisel groaned. "Okay, I ORDER you to stop dropping those bombs!" 

"Roger!" said Number Fifteen, piping the order through his link with the bomb bay. 

All activity on Teisel's screen ceased, except for the two-dimensional portrayal of the battle between Glyde and Tron. The display showed Glyde's robot as being far larger than Tron's, which Teisel hoped was only a problem of scale, but suspected that it wasn't. It was hard to tell what was happening, as the visual was not in real-time, nor was it capable of showing all the moves and attacks each combatant was capable of using. 

This meant that basically all Teisel could see was the robots moving back and forth, jumping, punching, and occasionally shooting small green dots at one another. It looked like Tron was holding her own, but Glyde was giving as good as he was getting in the fight. Rubbing his chin, Teisel realized that with the cessation of the bombardment of Glyde's ship, his part in this particular battle was reduced to that of observer. 

Pounding his fist on the console, he demanded, "Isn't there anything we can do?!" 

The bridge Servbots waited a few seconds before offering their opinions. 

"We could send in the Draches," said Number Sixteen helpfully. 

Number One said, "We could try dropping some more bombs." 

"We could play Burple Bowling," offered Number Eleven. 

Number Fifteen looked up from his tactical display. "I know! We could order up some food from the kitchen!" 

Everyone stared at Number Fifteen. 

Ten minutes later, Teisel had a helpful thought, so he stopped stuffing his face from his bowl of noodles. "You know, Number Sixteen, I think you may have had a good idea. We should send Tron some logistical support!" He ripped the communications headset off of Fifteen's face, causing the Servbot to nearly spill his own bowl. "Hey, MegaMan," he called, "can you hear me? Helloooo! Are you there?" 

Some static crackled through, then, "_Yes, Teisel, what can I do for you?_" MegaMan sounded a little rushed, as if he were doing something important at the moment. 

"See if you can give Tron some cover fire," said Teisel. "She looks like she needs help down there." 

"_We already tried that_," MegaMan said. Teisel thought he heard the sounds of neaby blaster fire in the background. "_She told us she didn't want any help. Right now we're trying to disable their big gun._" 

"Keep going, then," Teisel said with his mouth full. "Once you've shut it down, report in, and then we'll be able to bring the Gesellschaft into the fight."

* * *

"_Keep going then_," Teisel said. It sounded like he had something in his mouth. "_Once you've shut it down, report in, and we'll be able to bring the Gesellschaft into the fight._" 

"All right," MegaMan replied. He and Dantz were way, way ahead of Teisel's orders. They had already blasted their way into the small bridge on Glyde's ship. Birdbots lay in smoking piles behind them, and the two were already trying to turn the ship around. They had both agreed that steering the ship away from Kattleox City was the first priority, before trying to figure out how the weapon worked. 

Dantz was steering the ship. He clearly wasn't very good at it, but MegaMan was forced to admit he would have done even worse, since he had absolutely no experience flying anything but a Drache. Dantz had assumed he would know the controls by instinct, but a few things were different from the layout the Digger was used to, and he had taken a few wrong turns before finally getting the ship a safe distance from the city. 

MegaMan looked at the weapon's controls. They didn't seem to be that complicated: an aiming mechanism and the fire button. Still, MegaMan was unsure of what to do. There did not seem to be any need to actually fire it; even if there were, there were no appropriate targets below him. 

"What do we do now?" he asked. 

Dantz looked at him blankly. "I don't know. Maybe we should destroy the weapon, so they can't use it again." 

"Sounds good." 

"Yeah," Dantz answered. Each was apparently waiting for the other to make some sort of suggestion. 

Suddenly, a loud creak vibrated through the deck above them. Dantz was able to hold tightly to the steering wheel, but MegaMan was swept off his feet. He rolled over and re-oriented himself. Gulping, he realized what must have happened on the deck. Tron was in serious trouble! He had to stop fooling around down here and go help her! 

"What do you think we should---" Dantz was cut off as MegaMan put his fist through the weapons console, shattering the controls. MegaMan opened his fist and gripped the electronic guts of the control panel, ripping them out as he withdrew his hand. 

"I think that should do it," he said, looking down at the ruined console, which looked completely unusuable. He dashed for the ladder motioning for Dantz to follow him. Tron had better be all right, or he'd...what would he do?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, sorry the updates have been a little sparse (two whole DAYS, my GOD!). I was in KC for the Monday Night game. Chiefs 24, Rams 7, baby! Ohhhhh yeahhh!!!! **  
  
NEXT TIME: Unexpected Ally   
  



	52. Unexpected Ally

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 52:  
Unexpected Ally

* * *

Glyde leaned to his right as another small fire spewed out of the flagging Enarban Fell's controls. "Get that, will you?" he said to a Birdbot. The Birdbot, toting a fire extinguisher, dashed over to Glyde's chair and blasted the blaze with the white foam. Glyde flapped his hand in front of his face to dissipate the smoke. Coughing, he ordered the Birdbots to continue the assault. "Hold together, honey," he told the massive combat robot. 

The Feldynaught had leapt out of Glyde's vision for a moment, but it quickly landed back on the deck of the _Bumblebee Stinger_, firing a burst of bullets. There was no way Glyde could make the Enarban Fell dodge those---it was simply too large and lumbering to get out of the way in time---but it really wasn't something to worry about. The massive titanium plating would protect his vehicle from most of the damage, regardless. 

The captain's chair was chafing his buttocks, so Glyde shifted around, changing position so that he was now sitting on his knees. "Isn't that chest cannon fixed, yet?" 

"Er, no sir, keh-keh-keh-keh!" said the engineer Birdbot from his station. "We have to connect two more power relays before it's operational." 

"Well, hurry it up!" 

"Keh-keh, sir," the Birdbot replied affirmatively. "The problem is that whichever relay our engineers happen to be working on usually disconnects when we are hit, sir!" 

"Let's try not to get hit, then," Glyde said, annoyed. "Do I have to think of everything myself around here?" 

"Yes, sir...I mean, no, sir...erreerrrh!" 

Glyde ignored the Birdbot's fragile, uncertain stammering and returned his attention to the fight. He thrust his right control stick forward, which caused the mighty Enarban Fell to throw a forceful punch with its right arm. The blow did not strike Tron Bonne's fleet vehicle, however; it merely danced out of range and threw another of those nasty Bonne Bombs at him. The Enarban Fell was knocked ever so slightly backward by the shock. 

"I'll bet that jarred the relay loose again, didn't it?" Glyde asked absently, trying to knock the Feldynaught away with his front cannons. 

"Er, yes, sir!" said the engineer Birdbot. "We did get one of the two fixed, however!" 

Glyde shrugged. "Great." He wasn't even thinking about that anymore; he was too busy raining blows down on the other, smaller robot, a few of which were actually connecting. This seemed to be working better than his earlier defensive strategy had been. If he could keep Tron busy trying to avoid his attacks, she wouldn't have time to launch any of her own. 

Still, he could see that little Tron was having no problem evading the majority of his punches. His current plan was going to be no more than a delaying tactic. Then again, time was all he and his team of Birdbots really needed at the moment. 

Glyde kept up his punishing assault on the Feldynaught, hoping to give the repair crew enough time to finish up with the chest cannon. The Birdbots in front of him continued the small maintenance checks necessary to ensure the mech's continued operation. Finally, the call came. 

"Sir!" said the engineer Birdbot. "The chest cannon is operational! Keh-keh!" 

"Yeeee-haww!" Glyde whooped so uncharacteristically that all seven of the Birdbots in the Enarban Fell's cockpit stared at him. "What are you looking at!?! Fire the cannon!" 

The Birdbots hastily and wordlessly got back to work. "Chest cannon is warming up, sir!" reported one of them. 

"Excellent! Make sure you have a good shot before we fire." 

Glyde and the Birdbots watched the smaller combat robot dance around the deck. Just as the Feldynaught brought itself in close, no doubt ready to fire another barrage of bombs at the larger, stronger, but still-accident-prone Enarban Fell, Glyde shouted, "Now! Fire now!" 

It took three Birdbots wo push the huge button. The cannon glowed, then reported deafeningly as a blue beam shot out of the exact center of the Enarban Fell's chest. The wide, azure beam lanced through the Feldynaught's frame, ripping three of its legs off completely. The mech toppled over onto its side, popping out one last bomb at Glyde's own. 

Glyde cackled with glee. "Victory is ours!" 

A Birdbot spoke up. "Sir, the chest cannon is broken again!" 

"This piece of junk!" Glyde wailed, slamming both fists down on his control panel. After the Enarban Fell made a threatening clunky noise, however, Glyde put his cheek close to the console, murmuring, "Just kidding baby, I love you, you know I do. Don't break anything else, okay?" He kissed the control panel gently.

* * *

Tron tried her best not to cry out as her Feldynaught was cut down. As it tilted over, landing at an angle on the small skyship's deck, she pounded her fist down on the launch button, but only managed to get one more explosive fired before the circuits went dead. The entire control panel blanked as the mech's refractor stopped spinning. 

Howling, Tron unbuckled herself from the pilot's seat and tried to unseal the cockpit door. The portal was stuck. Tron cast her eyes around the small enclosure, searching for something that would help her escape. As the wrecked machine was rocked by another blow from Glyde's robot, Tron ripped off one of the arms from her pilot's chair. Inserting it under the lip of the door, she levered all of her weight against it. The door creaked in protest, but finally opened. 

She had escaped just in time. Glyde's assault vehicle brought a massive metal fist down onto the remains of her own, smashing the cockpit flat. "Hey!" she protested mildly as she looked back at the wreckage. What was she going to do now? 

Tron hadn't even remembered to bring her Arm Cannon with her! Overconfident, as she'd always been, she had simply assumed she wouldn't need any other weapons with her, hadn't she? Backing off, she looked up at Glyde's immense Enarban Fell---and it was very immense---and tried to get out of its weapons range. 

Tron had been in several situations as perilous as this one before. There was nothing to worry about, she realized as she tumbled sideways, just shy of getting squeezed into Tron-flavored jam by the Enarban Fell once again. Tron hopped onto the giant fist, hoping to avoid any further attacks. 

Where was MegaMan, anyway? It was just like him to run off when Tron needed him the most. Here she was, fighting this enormous robot, and he was nowhere in sight! He was lucky she kept him around at all. 

Tron's legs dangled in the open air as Glyde tried to throw her off the robot's wrist. "Whoa!" Her hands were clamped firmly onto the Enarban Fell's thumb, but Tron felt herself starting to get a bit dizzy as the hand flailed mercilessly. Finally, Tron could hold on no longer, and she prayed she would not go sailing over the deck railing as her hands slipped free. 

Tron's vision flashed white as she collided hard with the deck floor. Oh, well, she thought dizzily, at least she hadn't kept on falling down into the ocean. Hm, the ocean? Hadn't the ship been over Kattleox City before her battle had started? Yet now they were over the sea. That was so interesting. 

A black shadow cast itself over Tron, but she wasn't too worried about that right now, because her head REALLY hurt. Some other part of her brain was screaming at her to move, because Glyde was about to smash her, but she didn't seem to be able to do more than vaguely wave her hand at the approaching monstrosity. "Go 'way," she muttered. 

A proud voice came from somewhere north of her head. "Don't worry, Tron! Have no fear! I'll save you!" Another shadow cast itself, overlapping the first, and Tron heard the loud screech of two pistons straining against each other. Lolling her head to the right, she saw a large arm holding another one back, each straining against the other. 

Tron saw a pair of booted feet land next to her. Turning her head upwards, she saw an attractive tan face and ice-blue eyes looking down at her with concern. "Gary?" she said. 

Prince Gary smiled down at her. He leaned down and, placing a supportive hand behind Tron's box, helped her back to her feet. "Are you all right, Tron?" he asked. 

Tron shook off her disorientation. "What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded. 

If Gary noticed the venom dripping from Tron's words, he did not show it. "I came searching for you, my love," he said passionately. "I knew I couldn't just leave you in the hands of that churlish MegaMan. He was certain to take advantage of you before long. And obviously your unpolished brothers cared little for your upbringing or manners---" 

"What does that have to do with _anything_?" Tron said vehemently. "Who's fighting Glyde now, anyway?" 

Gary's blue eyes brightened. "It's Auntie Alaine. She said she'd pilot Guelly for me while I made sure you were alright." 

"That's great," Tron said absently, staring at the large Reaverbot from Garrdan Ruins that Gary had repaired. The Lady Alain was, indeed, atop the large mechanical behemoth, working the controls. She leaned forward, and Guelly's fist pounded into the Enarban Fell's side. Smoke began pouring out of the resulting dent. 

"Yes, my beloved," said Gary. "I'll come back and greet you properly once the foe is vanquished." He blew a kiss to Tron and climbed up Guelly's side, relieving his aunt at the control panel. 

Tron watched as the two large robots joined combat. She wasn't precisely sure which one she wanted to win. Maybe if a strong wind blew both of them over the side...

* * *

  
  
NEXT TIME: Guelly vs. Enarban Fell   
  



	53. Guelly vs Enarban Fell

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 53:  
Guelly vs. Enarban Fell

* * *

Glyde stood up in the Enarban Fell's cockpit, an unwise move, since the small chamber was not large enough for a grown man to actually stand up in. "Ow!" the pirate yelped as his cranium struck the metal ceiling. "Who is that?" He could see a lone figure standing atop the large combat vehicle---or was it a Reaverbot?---that now faced him. Suddenly, the figure vacated its place, and a different person, still barely visible, mounted the large monstrosity. 

"See if you can zoom in on whoever that is," Glyde ordered one of the Birdbots. 

The viewscreen's camera centered on the Enarban Fell's new opponent, a tall, athletic man with midnight black hair and ice blue eyes. He was clothed in flattering garb, just shade lighter than those eyes, which was all the same color. He grabbed the Reaverbot's controls. 

"Oooh," Glyde said with interest. "This is a cute one! Let's try not to hurt him---not too bad, at least." 

The Birdbots exchanged perplexed looks with one another. 

"Never mind that now," Glyde said impatiently. "Attack!" He leaned forward on his control, sending the Enarban Fell barreling towards its foe. "Fire the cannons!" 

Birdbots began pummeling their panels, sending waves of bullets at the Reaverbot. Seemingly miraculously, the pilot was untouched by the brutal assault. Glyde growled and thrust the Enarban Fell's right fist forward. Unfortunately, the opposing pilot caught the blow, holding the arm fast. Glyde jerked back on the lever, but the robotic limb was caught tightly. "Let go, you jerkface!" Glyde hollered. Thinking fast, he threw another punch, with the Enarban Fell's left arm, of course. 

This one was a success. The Reaverbot was thrust away, losing its grip on the Enarban Fell. Glyde cheered, pumping his fist into the air as he resumed his offensive. He had no idea who this newcomer was, but there was no time to worry about that at the moment---he needed to take care of business first. Glyde began raining blow after blow on the bulky robot, but unlike in his earlier battle with Tron, this strategy was having little or no effect. The other machine was simply shaking off the powerful pummeling, giving back its own share of blows. 

Glyde's eyebrows lowered in anger as he redoubled his attacks. "Hey! Get that chest cannon operational again!" he called over his voicelink. "This isn't going to cut it!" 

"_Keh-keh, sir!_" said one of the maintenance Birdbots. "_The chest cannon will be ready to fire within three minutes!_" 

"Make it two," Glyde commanded pompously, landing another hit on the Reaverbot's torso. Once his precious Enarban Fell was working up to snuff, that cute little pilot would be toast!

* * *

"Let's go!" MegaMan shouted as he climbed onto the ship's deck. "Tron needs our---" His voice cut off as he saw the two huge robots clashing in front of him. "Uhhhhh." 

Dantz crawled out of the trapdoor that led to the bridge. "What? What's the matter? Whoa! What is that thing?" 

"If that's what I think it is, it's a re-programmed Reaverbot named Guelly," MegaMan explained. "Last time I fought it, it was really tough. I was lucky I won." 

"You fought that thing and _won_?" Dantz asked in disbelief. 

"Yeah," said MegaMan, looking around the deck. "I wonder where---there she is! Tron!" He jogged over to the other side of the deck, where Tron stood watching the battle. Another, older woman, one MegaMan thought he recognized, was standing next to her. 

"Oh, how wonderful," said the older woman. "The titleless orphan. A thrill to see you, of course." It might have been his imagination, but she seemed to twitch a little as she gazed upon him. 

"Thanks," MegaMan squeezed out before he recognized the bile in the woman's tone. 

"What's going on here?" Dantz said, puzzled. "Who are all you people?" 

"Well, this is Tron Bonne, you remember her from the contest," said MegaMan, "and this is...uhh...is..." 

"Alaine, princess of Garrdan Island, brother to King Garland," the older woman said haughtily. "My nephew Gary is the one saving all of you currently, although I wouldn't have bothered, myself." 

"Gary?" asked Dantz. 

"Yes, the Prince of Garrdan Island," said Alaine. "In his recklessness, he decided he wanted to marry young Tron here, despite the fact that she already has a boyfriend, and a low-born one at that." 

Both Tron and MegaMan spoke up to protest Alaine's classification of their relationship as Dantz looked at them both quizzically. Then, he said to MegaMan, "You mean you let Roll kiss you like that even though you have a girlfriend? Man, that's pretty rough..." 

"What?!" demanded Tron. "You let that little tramp _kiss_ you?!" 

"Why do you care?!" MegaMan shouted back. "You're not my girlfriend, remember?!" 

Tron placed her hands on her hips, casting an accusatory glance at him. "That's not the point! If you lie down with a dog, then you're gonna catch fleas, get it?!" 

"Hey!" shouted Dantz. "Don't call Roll a dog! She's a great girl; sometimes, she's just a little...aggressive, that's all." 

"All of you, shut up!" said Alaine sharply, in a tone accustomed to command. "My Gary is in battle for your sake, and all you can talk about is who is and is not in love with whom? Maybe I should just call him off and leave you to the pirates' tender mercies." 

The three of them stared at her. 

"Okay," said Tron, "I think we'll be...slightly better off if Gary wins this fight than if Glyde does. Agreed?" 

Dantz shrugged and nodded, but MegaMan kept silent. "I don't know," he said. "I...guess so." 

"Of course you will," Alaine said. "After all, it's not like we were only coming here to elicit swift and painful revenge upon you all, is it?" She looked so earnest that MegaMan felt a small sense of foreboding. 

"Hey, I've never even met you before," Dantz said, waving his arms defensively in front of him. 

"Never mind," said MegaMan, shaking his head, "I suppose we should go give him a hand." 

Both Diggers shrugged, charging up their Arm Cannons. As they charged the two mechs, with the intent of attacking only Glyde's, or at least, so Tron hoped, she turned to Alained, still standing huffily at her side. "I hope they get out of this okay," Tron said. 

Alaine said nothing, staring icily at the two Diggers as they joined the battle.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know this was a bit short, but keep the faith, because it's going to be a couple of days before another update. I'm going to try and finish the story all at once so no one will have to wait to see the end. Cheerio! **  
  
NEXT TIME: Two Times Two Equals...   
  



	54. Two Times Two Equals

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 54:  
Two Times Two Equals...

* * *

Dantz pulled the Self-Contained Repeating Dantz-o-Matic out of his pouch and started firing at the pirate Glyde's immense mech. He'd fought some massive Reaverbots before, but never anything this huge! The Dantz-o-Matic rattled off its shots as Dantz darted around the large machine, which was much too large and lumbering to be able to keep up with him. 

The Digger knew that he was, at best, a minor annoyance for the giant Enarban Fell, but every little bit counted. That was an old Digger's proverb he'd heard during his youth at the Shala-Kun Mines. At least, he thought so. It was possible Dantz had just made that up on his own at some point, but since he was a Digger, after all, it was just as good as anything else. 

The other robot, the one that looked like a Reaverbot, was busy physically attacking its opponent. Dantz was careful not to get in its way as it took on Glyde. He didn't know who the blue-clad pilot was---well, he knew the pilot's name was Gary, not much else---but he hoped that he could win this battle. He, Dantz, would be doing everything he could to ensure that outcome. 

Ducking under a swung robotic fist, Dantz leaped onto the metallic arm and climbed it, eventually gaining a clear shot at the robot's head. Dantz let go with the Dantz-o-Matic, emptying his entire clip. This process took a good three or four minutes, during which he had to jump from the robot's shoulder onto its other arm and then back again. 

Since it was now completely empty, Dantz tucked the Self-Contained Repeating Dantz-o-Matic back into his backpack, nearly tumbling off the Enarban Fell as he did so. As he recovered himself, Dantz could see his fellow Digger, MegaMan, firing short bursts at the large robotic frame as well, though he had wisely stayed on the deck. Still, Dantz was confident that he was in a good attack position, as far as it went. He would have no problem finding shots all along the Enarban Fell's body, while at the same time making any kind of counterattack difficult if not impossible. 

After he had re-established his footing atop the large contraption, Dantz lined up his shot and started letting fly with the Dantz Blaster, which, he could now admit, was pretty much the same thing as a regular Arm Cannon. Of course, Roll hadn't tweaked MegaMan's Arm Cannon to the maximum limits of power and efficiency like she had Dantz's. Shot after shot impacted on the Enarban Fell, at several different points, but at nowhere near the rate of fire Dantz had enjoyed from the Dantz-o-Matic. He cursed himself for not re-loading after his Dig in the Main Gate, but who could have known what kind of scrapes he'd end up getting in? All part of a Digger's life; nearly every minute a struggle for survival. 

Dantz blasted a couple of Birdbots which were trying to scale the Enarban Fell's body. They squawked as they were knocked back down. Dantz was about to return to his assault on the massive machine, but one of the Enarban Fell's clamp-like hands picked him up by his right arm, coincidentally, the arm which was attached to the Dantz Blaster. 

"Whoa! Hey, let go!" Dantz fired into the Enarban Fell's hand, a futile attempt since it seemed that no damage was caused, at least not to Glyde's fearsome combat robot. Dantz himself felt a charring sensation as his preferred weapon backfired, sending waves of scorchingly hot energy back into its own barrel. The hand tightened its grip on him, causing even more pain to shoot through his hand. "Aaah!" Dantz cried. "Stop it!" 

As if responding to Dantz's shouted order, the Enarban Fell drew back its hand and flung the Digger forward. Dantz realized that Glyde must have had a target in mind for his living projectile as he smashed into Gary, knocking the prince away from his Reaverbot's controls. Dantz's armor protected him from the brunt of the impact, but Gary, who had been wearing nothing more than his aquaamarine-colored jumpsuit, was a bit more rattled. Dantz pushed himself off of the prince, asking, "Are you all right?" 

Gary groaned. His eyes seemed unfocused; perhaps he had hit his head on one of the iron railings on top of this robot? He may have been knocked off one of the control panels as well. Dantz fell back onto his knees as the prince's Reaverbot was struck by another physical assault. Dantz figured that at best, Gary was suffering from some sort of concussion. 

This meant that he, alone, was the only one currently able to pilot the robot. Dantz studied the controls, which seemed rather foreign to him. Still, he had to do something, as his own weapons were now useless, and MegaMan by himself had little hope of defeating the large Enarban Fell. Dantz looked at the Dantz Blaster, which now resembled a crushed tin can more than anything else. His hand throbbed from within it. Well, he considered, since he had only one hand to work the controls with, that likely meant he could only screw up half as much, didn't it? 

Dantz pushed one of the control sticks forward. The Reaverbot thrust its left hand out, actually striking Glyde's mechanical monstrosity, but then continued pivoting to the left, moving around swiftly and in a complete circle. Dantz tried to stop the motion, but he had pressed the lever a bit too hard, so the restructured Reaverbot made another loop around before he was able to un-stick the control. 

This left Glyde with an opening. He punched Dantz's conveyance twice, causing the Reaverbot to shudder. Dantz tried another button on the control panel, but this one did nothing. He pressed it again firmly. No, it was still not responding. Sighing, Dantz tried to launch another blow before Glyde could strike again. He managed to land another left hook on the Enarban Fell, but this time, he stopped the machine before it could spin around in another circle. This was a difficult procedure, operating the controls with one hand. He could conceivably throw a right-handed punch as well, but this proposition was far too complicated with a completely-encased and unworkable right hand. 

"Step aside." 

"What?" Dantz asked as he turned around. The middle-aged woman was standing on the platform behind him. What was her name, again? Alaine. 

"Step aside and let someone work those controls who understands them." She brushed Dantz aside and assumed the spot which Dantz had just vacated. Alaine began working the panel like an expert, which Dantz guessed that she probably was. "Tend to my nephew. Take him to safety." 

Dantz did as she ordered, noting that the Reaverbot now seemed to be holding its own against the larger Enarban Fell. He lifted the blue-clad prince gently and carried him away from the battle.

* * *

Some aberrant sounds were detected by his auditory sensors, but nothing seemed to require his direct intervention, especially considering his new directives. It was probably simply the carbon units warring amongst themselves again, nothing that need concern him. In fact, now that it crossed his upper memory, perhaps that did concern him, but he had been ordered to set out to the nearest island, and he had done so. 

MegaMan Juno had simply walked out of his former sanctum, in his new humaniform shell, of course, and to the coast of his protectorate island. Lacking any sort of vehicle, the Bureaucratic Model had simply walked into the surf, getting deeper and deeper in the salt water until he was completely submerged. 

Now he was over 128.4 miles from what the carbons called Kattleox Island, it seemed futile to try and return to stop the carbon's meaningless battle. He still had 278.3 miles until the next island, so Juno stepped off of an outcropping and slowly sank to the next level of sea floor. He needed to complete his directives, or Mother would be displeased.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, blazer6, if you wanna read a Robot Master story, try "Dr. Wily's Robot Rejects" on my author page, and you can check out the sequel, "Rejected by City Hall." Careful though, as they're fairly risque. **  
  
NEXT TIME: Enarban Fell's Endgame   
  



	55. Enarban Fell's Endgame

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 55:  
Enarban Fell's Endgame 

* * *

A neon beam discharged from the Enarban Fell's chest. It slammed into Guelly, showering sparks along the Reaverbot's torso. MegaMan ducked as Alaine drew back Guelly's fist uncomfortably close to his head, then fired his Arm Cannon at the Enarban Fell. 

Dantz seemed to have had a good idea, earlier, when he'd mounted the Enarban Fell and rained fire on it from above. MegaMan latched onto the back of the massive mech, shooting at a couple Birdbots who were running after him. A punch from Alaine landed right in front of him, nearly scraping off his nose as it impacted on the torso. MegaMan used it as a stepping stone, jumping from it to the very top of the Enarban Fell. 

He began firing over and over again, blasting several different targets on the mech's body. It wasn't damaging it a great deal next to the attacks Alaine was repeatedly throwing, but MegaMan felt that he was doing his part in the battle. He sidestepped quickly to the right as another of Guelly's attacks nearly hit him. The immense fist clanged loudly as it hit the other robot's surface. 

The concave opening on the Enarban Fell's chest started glowing. MegaMan, knowing another fearsome blast was soon to come, concentrated his fire on that spot. The several shots from his Arm Cannon finally paid off, causing the robot's chest cannon to explode. Alaine, atop Guelly's control center, would now have a much easier time finishing off Glyde's mech. 

MegaMan's suspicion turned out to have been correct. Guelly easily landed three more attacks, one of which MegaMan had to dodge again. Glyde's robot began smoking, then collapsed in on itself. MegaMan nearly toppled over as this last occured, but managed to grab a protruding antenna from the Enarban Fell's head. 

A hatch popped open below him. Glyde, face and hair covered in soot, emerged about halfway before he saw MegaMan dangling above him. "Oh, well," said the effete pirate, "I guess I should be pleased it lasted as long as it did." He looked up at MegaMan. "You know, you're really quite good. I wonder if you might consider---" 

Glyde was cut off as Guelly threw another blow at his non-functional machine. "Hey!" he yelled, miffed. "I've already lost! I give up---you win, okay?!" 

MegaMan pulled himself back on top of the ruined Enarban Fell. "I wonder why she's still---" Another punched rocked the robot frame, but MegaMan managed to hold his stance this time. "---attacking," he finished. 

MegaMan waved at Alaine, who was still operating her controls furiously. The sister of King Garland of Garrdan Island shot the boy a dirty look before returning to her work. MegaMan wondered what she was doing as he felt an incredible pressure drop onto him. His vision tinted green, and he stumbled back, wondering why Alaine was smirking at him so. 

"What did you hit HIM for?" demanded Glyde's voice from below. "He's on your side, isn't he?" 

The ground started shaking out from under MegaMan, and he thought he fell off the big robot. He thought so because the water was getting closer to him now, and something was wrong with his brain. At least, that's what the voice kept telling him. He saw something big fall from the ship above him, and he was about to hit the water, but he didn't feel it because his eyes blinked out, and he couldn't feel or see anything anymore. His last thought was that he hoped that big thing wouldn't fall on top of him.

* * *

Tron saw that less-than-trustworthy Digger, Dantz, dragging Gary over to where she stood. This was just minutes after Alaine had left her to pilot that big Reaverbot. Tron wasn't sure what was wrong with Gary, but it looked like he had just been shaken up by the Enarban Fell throwing Dantz at him. Kind of like that time Teisel had slipped on Number Two's discarded banana peel, and slide into Tron in his full armor, crushing her against the wall. That had hurt a lot. 

"How is he?" Tron asked, almost with concern, as the Digger layed Gary's inert body onto the deck. 

"Neither one of us is doing that well," said Dantz, showing Tron his right hand. His Arm Cannon had collapsed in on itself. "Just before Glyde squished my hand, I fired a shot. I think my hand is pretty beat up." 

"Sorry," Tron said, not without sympathy. Off in the distance, Glyde tried to fire the Enarban Fell's chest cannon but failed, as MegaMan had taken it out with his own Arm Cannon before it could discharge its deadly blast. "You should get that checked out." 

"Yeah, probably," said Dantz as Guelly made an incredibly swift punch to the top of the Enarban Fell. "I'll bet they can take care of it at Katttleox Hospital. It looked pretty nice when I checked it out." 

"I never actually went in there," said Tron. "I was too busy scoping out the police station." MegaMan sure was acting weird. Why was he dancing around up there? Guelly started tipping over the Enarban Fell, no doubt intending to throw it over the edge of the skyship. "Get off of there, you moron!" 

From his splayed position on the deck, Gary groaned. "What's going on?" 

"I think he just went over!" Dantz gasped, looking as Alaine finished her work, using Guelly's vast mechanical strength to lever the Enarban Fell over and into the ocean. 

"MegaMan!" Tron shouted, as she and Dantz dashed towards the scene of the battle. "Where is he!" 

"He may have gone overboard," Dantz said calmly, though there was a bit of tension in his voice. He looked over the wrecked railing. "I don't see him now." 

"What's the problem?" Lady Alaine asked as she dismounted Guelly. 

"You just knocked MegaMan off the ship, you crazy b---" 

"Auntie Alaine!" Gary cried as he stumbled to catch up with the others. "You did it! You beat the pirates!" 

Tron looked fiercely at the prince. "Yeah, and she beat MegaMan too, didn't she? That seems awfully convenient, doesn't it, Gary!?" Tron advanced meancingly on him. 

"Wait," said Gary, "What are you talking about?" 

"I afraid I couldn't save him," Alaine said, without a trace of emotion in her voice. "That horrible pirate held on to him as he fell. I suppose he wanted to take one of us with him." 

"I don't think that's what happened," said Dantz. "It looked like MegaMan was just standing up there when he fell. I think he went over before the robot did." 

"I was right here the whole time, dear," said Alaine patiently. "Don't try to correct me, please." 

Tron wasn't going to waste any more time. "All Draches, hear this!" she shouted into her voicelink. "MegaMan fell overboard! Go pick him up, now! You got that!" 

"_Roger!_" the Servbots answered. 

"He'll be fine," Tron assured herself. "He's probably down there beating up Glyde right now." 

"I still don't understand what's happening," Gary said, dazed. "Did I win?" 

"Not now!" Tron snapped. She looked over the railing nervously, but all she could see was the Enarban Fell, and some Birdbots crawling out of the wrecked machine. They seemed to be remarkably bad swimmers when considering the animals they were designed after. "Ohh...please be okay!" Tron felt Dantz's hand squeeze her left shoulder. It didn't matter what else happened, as long as MegaMan was all right...

* * *

NEXT TIME: Road to Recovery   
  



	56. Road to Recovery

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 56:  
Road to Recovery

* * *

Dantz looked at the new cast on his right hand. It was white and made his hand look abnormally large, like the white gloves those anthropomorphic animal characters would wear in a cartoon. It would have been funny if his hand hadn't been injured so severely. The cast went down his forearm about halfway, but didn't restrict the movement of his elbow in any way. He would have been in pain, except the doctor had given him so many painkillers, he was almost in a euphoric state. 

After he'd been taken back to the city, by the Bonnes, of all people, he'd went immediately to the hospital. They'd had to saw off his Dantz Blaster, which was melted and warped beyond all repair. As Dantz had feared, some of the metallic shards and run-off had fused with his skin. It had taken a three-hour operation to remove all of the metal fragements, he required over a hundred stitches, and then, since his hand had been completely crushed by the Enarban Fell, he'd needed a cast as well. They had separated all of his fingers from each other to prevent them from healing together and making his hand into a "mitten." 

Dantz leaned back in his bed. They'd made him change into a hospital gown and stay in bed despite the fact that he felt fine! He wanted to go find Roll; she didn't even know where he was, now. He and Roll were alone together, and each was all the other had. He needed to tell her that, no matter what happened in the future, he would always--- 

"Hello, Mr. Digger, sir!" piped up a cheery, high-pitched voice from the doorway. Dantz looked, but saw no one there to meet him. "It's nice to see you're okay!" 

Dantz angled his vision downward, and saw three of the little Servbots beaming at him from the doorway. "Hi, guys!" he said cheerfully. "What's going on?" 

"Miss Tron wanted to come and visit you!" said a Servbot, dragging Tron Bonne in with the others. 

"That's great!" Dantz said, still cheerful on the outside. "I'm doing fine, you know." He patted his cast. "Nothing the ol' D-Man couldn't handle!" 

Tron still looked stunned. She hadn't changed clothing since her battle with Glyde, so she was still clad in a soot-stained jumpsuit. There was a small bruise under her right eye, and she looked blankly at the wall, not even acknowledging Dantz's presence in the room. She was only barely paying attention to the Servbots. 

"They had to pull chunks of metal out of my hand!" Dantz said. 

"Oooh!" said one of the little guys, staring in horror at Dantz's cast. "I bet that _really_ hurt!" 

"Well, a little," Dantz admitted, winking at the Servbots, "but that was before they gave me the drugs!" All of the Servbots uttered gasps of amazement at this, which almost startled Dantz into laughter. "Yep, they're really treating me right here." 

Dantz wasn't sure if Tron was listening to him or not, but at that exact moment, she burst into tears, her chest heaving as she nearly folded in on herself. Resisting all medical advice, Dantz sat up in his hospital bed, throwing down the side railing. He gripped Tron to him tightly, squeezing her nearly so hard as to bruise flesh. 

"I...understand," he said in clipped tones. "I understand how it feels to lose someone close to you. My mother ran out on me when I was a kid. I never even knew my dad. Now Barrel, Data, Quackard..." He decided not to remind Tron that she was at least partially responsible for those deaths. "It feels like it's never going to get better, doesn't it?" Some part of him in the back of his brain realized that, were it not for the painkillers he was currently on, he would be crying now nearly as hard as Tron. "It will. I promise." 

"But I...never...I couldn't...tell him. I was too...scared!" Tron wailed. 

He gritted his teeth. "If there's any justice, in this world or the next, he already knows." Dantz gripped Tron by her shoulders and pushed her back so she could face him. "Listen to me. You, Tron Bonne, are not only one of the premier sky pirates currently in the world, but you also have one of the most loving hearts of any of the girls...any of the _women_ I've ever met. You hear me?" 

Tron sniffed and nodded silently. "Let's go, boys," she said shakily, and led the Servbots out of Dantz's hospital room. 

Dantz hoped the girl would be okay. Even though they'd been opponents on more than one occasion, he found himself thinking of her fondly. Of course, he had better not let Roll catch on to that. Roll... He hoped she'd be able to find him. 

As if in response to his wishes, he heard a cry of "Dantz!" from the hallway. A small, thin, red-clad girl darted into his room. 

"Roll!" he said, barely having time to open his arms before the blond girl threw herself into them. "I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find me!" 

"As soon as I heard about those explosions in the air, I knew where you'd end up," she confessed, nuzzling her Digger's chest. "Hey," she said, disengaging herself from him, "why is your gown all wet?" 

Clearly, his gown was wet because Tron had been crying while she hugged him. He didn't want to tell Roll that, though. "Umm, because I was drooling on it," he said quickly. 

"Ewww!" Roll yelled, thrusting herself away from Dantz completely. "That's gross!" 

"Well, they have had me on a lot of drugs here..." 

"Shut up, dummy!" Roll punched him in the chest, away from the damp spot, of course. "I was so worried about you." 

Dantz thought of all that had happened to him in recent hours. "I'm sorry, Roll. I want you to know that...I promise I'll always come back to you, okay?" 

"Yeah," she said, sniffing as she looking at her feet. 

"What's with all the long faces in here?" said a crotchety old voice. "You'd think somebody died, or something." 

"Barrel!" 

"That's right," said the old Digger, alive and well. "You should've known it'd take more than a thing like blowing up to kill me." He circled his shoulder around in its socket. "Tell you what, I may leave the Digging to you from now on, though. Takes it out of you." 

"He's not the only one---errrerrrh!" Quackard walked into the room. "I'd hug you, Dantzy-boy, but I don't swing that way." 

"No problem," said Dantz as little Data hopped into the room, dancing playfully around the hospital equipment. "Data! I'm glad you're okay, too!" Data bounded onto Dantz's bed, doing a little jig around his sheets. Dantz smiled, although he felt a little guilty, knowing his family was all okay while Tron had to deal with such a tragic loss. "It was too bad about MegaMan, though..." 

"MegaMan?" said Roll, no doubt remembering the young boy she'd traipsed around Kattleox City with. "What happened to him?" 

All of the Casketts were paying close attention to Dantz now. "He died," said Dantz. "He fell off the skyship into the ocean. We looked for hours, but we couldn't find him." 

"So...MegaMan's dead?" asked Roll. 

"I think so," Dantz said. "I don't see how he could have survived." He patted Data's head. The monkey's eyes had gone wide as he listened to Dantz's news, and the little robot smushed his head into Dantz's thigh. The Digger stroked Data's fur, unsure of why the monkey was so depressed.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Gary," said Alaine as the royal skyship made its way back to Garrdan Island. 

"I can't believe Tron said she never wants to see me again!" lamented the prince. "After we saved her life and all..." 

"Well," Alaine said, "it turned out for the best. She'll get over her dead boyfriend, eventually." 

"Yes, you're right," he said, "and then it'll be Gary's time to shine!" 

Alaine nodded. "That's why I had to destroy that little boy. He would have been in your way, you see." 

"What?" said Gary. "You mean...it was you who knocked MegaMan off of that ship?" He looked shocked. "You killed him?" 

"I had to do it. Nothing matters to me more than your happiness, Gary. I couldn't tell you about it, because then Tron would have held you responsible." Her eyes pleaded with her nephew. 

Gary looked slyly at her. "Well done," he said in a congratulatory tone.

* * *

"Well," Glyde said haughtily as he and the Birdbots rowed their way towards the next nearest island, "I'm certainly glad we thought of storing that large life raft in the Enarban Fell's cockpit." 

"Keh!" squawked one of the Birdbots in agreement. "Yeah. I wonder why we did that, anyway?" 

"Because we didn't have anywhere else to put it!" said another Birdbot. 

"Silence!" Glyde ordered. "Regardless of reason, it's clear that I showed a great deal of good judgement in placing this raft aboard the Enarban Fell." He shivered. "Mr. Loath is going to be very displeased with us for losing the Garoona Klang..." 

One of the Birdbots quacked. "Um, well, technically, we haven't _lost_ it yet. We know where it is---it's still on board the _Bumblebee Stinger_." 

"Keep going," Glyde prompted. 

"All we have to do is find the ship. Errerrrgh! Technically, unless it's damaged, the refractors will power the ship for a period of no less than fifty years, right?" 

"Right!" said another Birdbot with a rare burst of enthusiasm. 

"Keh-keh! So we have another fifty years, give or take, to find it. Unless someone else finds it first." 

"Change of plan!" Glyde said authoritatively. "First, we're going to report to Mr. Loath. But, let me stress this, the operation is STILL underway! We just haven't secure all of the refractors yet!" This was technically true. The _ship_ had to be secured, and the refractors were on it. "Then, we'll commandeer one of the family's skyships, come back here and re-capture the Garoona Klang!" He laughed in triumph. "In no time at all, we'll be the most powerful crime syndicate in the world!" The Birdbots squawked in time with Glyde's laughter as the raft drifted further out to sea.

* * *

NEXT TIME: Epilogue   
  



	57. Epilogue

  


A Different Place 

  
  
Part 57:  
Epilogue

* * *

The waves went calmly by as the door to the Carrier opened, giving Yuna the feeling that it was her ship that was moving, not the water. This was impossible, however, as the Carrier was hovering two yards over the ocean level. She looked into the waves, as if trying to see through them and into the depths of the ocean floor. Somewhere down there, her target waited for her. 

"I am prepared for the jump, Mistress Yuna," said Gatz, standing beside her. "With your permission..." 

"You have it," she said. 

Gatz nodded and stepped out of the open door, making a small splash as his powerful body sank into the sea. Yuna watched the waves as long as she was able, then began pacing around the Carrier's interior. 

They had followed these Purifier readings all across the world, which had finally culminated in their stop here. The Purifier-like emanations had become very strong for a few minutes, then had softened as they sank into the briny deep. Yuna had no idea what to expect, but she was almost certain that there was nothing down there. 

Her heart had been broken too many times. She wasn't going to get her hopes up yet again, only to be crushed as she found out another lead had proven to be false. Yuna was going to have to face the facts: she was stuck in this fragile shell, doomed to live out her remaining years with its diminished senses, its tangly hair, and it's ever-worsening physical fitness. There wasn't even anything she could do to stop it; this body would continue aging until its eventual death, from which her program would never be recovered. 

Yuna sighed and sat disconsolately on one of the cushioned chairs. 

"_Mother_," Gatz transmitted to her, "_I believe I have found the source of the emissions. It does, indeed, appear to be a Purifier Unit. I am beginning recovery now._" 

"Wonderful," Yuna said, although she kept her expectations low. Most likely, it was some random Shrine Guardian that had wandered off from its duties due to a programming malfunction. Yuna kicked her shapely legs as she leaned back in her chair, a vivid memory in her mind of what it would feel like to have her emerald tresses dancing sensually among her shoulders and bare neck. She nearly shuddered in remembered pleasure, then recalled that she had nothing but a short blond dusting of hair, hair that disobeyed her in nearly every way. 

Another splash alerted her to Gatz's arrival. The Servitor Unit walked into the Carrier, holding a body that, while humaniform, was still somewhat smaller than she expected a Purifier's to be. Gatz set the shell gently down on the Carrier floor. "I believe this is the unit we were searching for, Mother," he said. 

"It doesn't look like any Purifier I'm aware of," Yuna said. Still, she stood up and walked over to the inert body. Perhaps it was a Purifier, but she doubted it. It didn't look like any unit she'd ever seen. It didn't even have green hair! She gazed unenthusiastically at the face, which was a little cute, truth be told. The lips were pursed in an adorable fashion, and the button nose put her in mind of the unit which had caused her face to light up every time she met him. In fact, even the hair looked slightly similar, although while the shape was correct, the color was all wrong. She raised a blond eyebrow. 

"MegaMan!" Yes, it was him. She was certain. 

"I beg your pardon?" said Gatz in confusion. "To which MegaMan are you referring?" 

Yuna flung herself onto the small, inert body. She planted her lips on its mouth in a cold, salty kiss, and stroked the brown hair, such an unappealing color. "Oh, my beloved Trigger," she gasped as she released him. "I'm so happy you finally came back to me."

* * *

FIN

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: There we are. If anyone has any questions about the story, you can e-mail them to me at , or you can just "review" them to me. If I get enough, I'll answer them in a "Chapter 58," but that won't really count because 57 is the magic number. That also happens to be the number of the school bus I rode to kindergarten on. Heh. God bless. ---ADR **   
  



End file.
